7 Colours of the Rainbow
by naash
Summary: Will she remember the colours... Nejiten (Multi-chaptered). After Neji had died during the war, Tenten half-lived. A mission to find a part of Neji gave her a second chance to protect him and to remember the colours.
1. Chapter 1 - Red

**Authors note:**

Hi. It's been a long time. Being an adult caught up with me.

I would like to announce that this shall be my last fic and I will see this through. As per the title of my fic, there will only be 7 chapters.

I have finally completed reading Naruto. For the longest time, I stopped reading the manga after I heard of Neji's death. As you know from my many fics, I love nejiten then most.

I will go back to my roots and do angst tragedy which I am best at. So, please join me on my last journey. My final story.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto

 **7 Colours of the Rainbow**

 **Chapter 1 by naash**

Star light star bright

First star I see tonight

I wish I may I wish I might

Remember the colours no longer in my sight

* * *

Neji had left the world by sunset.

All the colours, gone from the world, were consumed by the darkness. I had waited for the sun to set again, waited for him to wake up from his long slumber, waited for his sarcastic remarks, his piercing gaze. But it never came. All that was left was the biting silence.

Nothing was the same again. Not after the Fourth Shinobi War.

But team Gai managed. Gai Sensei was forced to retire after a permanent injury but he was often counselling other disabled shinobis. He was still optimistic on the future but I could tell the light in his eyes had dimmed.

Lee still presevered with his dreams of being a great ninja. He has matured greatly. Once reckless in battle, he, now weighs the risk of going into one. But that never stopped him from getting into one. He still protects. But I feel that he protects himself from losing someone dear to him again. He has a son too, a splitting image of his father.

And I... I suddenly cannot see again. I cannot see the life, the purpose, my surroundings and the colours.

Day to day, life is a blur. And the sun that comes, burns, charring my reality.

How I managed to live all these years after the war... I was not sure.

"Tenten." I snapped out of my reverie. Lee was in front of me, clothed in a black spandex jumpsuit. Or so I thought it was black. I do not notice the colours anymore. "They're waiting."

"Who?"

"The Seventh. Everyone," he said, his brows furrowed together. When did Lee get so old? "They won't start without us."

"What day is it today?"

"It's the memorial day for the shinobis that had fallen during the Fourth Shinobi War." Lee reminded her, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Ah." Neji's death anniversary. "Let's go then."

But out of all the colours, I remember the colour red vividly. I learnt what the colour red truly means when the news of his sacrifice reached my ears and when I found him lifeless on the ground.

* * *

At the memorial ground, a wide expanse of green with marble tombstones, I found myself moving forward, snaking past the crowd. Lee's hand at the small of my back urging me to go forward. His hand was gone by the time we reached the front lines.

My gaze immediately fell to the name 'Hyuuga Neji' inscribed on a tombstone. He was just a distant memory now.

"Tenten," a small, wavering voice called out.

I turned to see eyes as pale as my fallen comrade. "Hinata..." I blinked surpressing the pain that came.

"I haven't seen you in a while," she asked. "Are you well?"

When was the last time I saw Hinata? When was the last time I saw a Hyuuga? It may be months now?

I managed a smile. "The usual," I told her.

"How is the weapons store?"

"Business is slow." I gazed intently at her eyes. What would an older Neji look like?

Hinata blushed lightly.

"Sorry Hinata," I apologised. "It's just that your eyes..."

The Hyuuga heiress's eyes widened, fingers twirling in anxiety. "Tenten..." She started. "I should be the one to... i took him away from..."

From whom? From Team Gai? From myself? "It's ok. I would have done the same thing for him." I smiled. "The Seventh mentioned that he died a free man."

"He thought the world of you," Hinata stated.

I shook my head. The Neji, then, did not have time for love, if love was at all Hinata's indication. "He loved you, Hinata." After all, his life has always been in your hands.

Hinata shifted her gaze to the ground.

The memorial started moments later. The Seventh, Naruto spoke the tale of the fourth shinobi war, the actions and sacrifices that the fallen had done and for the villagers and fellow shinobi to ensure that the sacrifices were not in vain.

But these are no more than words. The fallen are slowly being forgotten. And the nature of man is difficult to erase.

* * *

The memorial came to an end when dark clouds rolled through the sky and the crowd started to disperse.

I stayed behind, walking through the rows of marble, white tombstones and stopping until I reached Neji's. I suppose many of the team 11 and Hyuuga clan stop by, as per the fresh and withered flowers adorning his resting place. I would too but I had nothing to give, nothing to say. After all, what do you say to a dead man? What would you give to a dead man?

"He was one of the greatest men I knew," a voice muttered from beside me. "Though I admit he had a troublesome personality."

I exhaled my breath in amusement. "He was always stubborn. But he always knew what to do. He never hesitated." I turned to see the advisor of the hokage, Shikamaru. "You're a busy man, Shikamaru. What do I owe this pleasure?"

He hesitated. "I suppose just saying that I was visiting Neji's and Asuma Sensei's grave would be a lie."

I gave him smile. "We know each other too well for this."

He gave me a smile. "It's a mission which only you can take on." He passed me a scroll. "I had to persuade the Seventh to bring you on this."

I unfurled it and glanced at the contents. "S-ranked? We haven't had any S-ranked missions since the war." It was true. The war left the shinobi villages with renewed sense of trust and alliance in each other.

"During the fourth war, Kaguya Ootsutsuki mentioned of a threat of the future. Sasuke spent years surveying the land and trying to seek this threat. He may have found it. And the key to this threat is linked to the secret of the Hyuuga eyes. It is much too dangerous to send in a Hyuuga clan member. For other teams to go in is dangerous as well they do not know the Hyuuga eyes well enough. This may result in failure and the enemy will know that we are on to them," He started. "If you take this, the mission will have 95% success."

"This is a solo mission." I stated rather than questioned.

"No. There is a team but only you will go in alone."

"When is the debrief?"

"They are waiting at the hokage's office as we speak."

"Is there something you're not telling me."

He hesitated. "It's better I tell you now. Naruto wanted this to be kept confidential," he said, his eyes turned serious. "I trust you not to tell anyone."

I waited. A wind swept over the area, autumn leaves dancing midair.

"Tenten," His eyes clouded over. "They have Neji's eyes…."

And then came the rain…

 _ **To be continued**_


	2. Chapter 2 - Orange

A/N : Thank you to all those who have read and reviewed.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

 **7 Colours of the Rainbow**

 **Chapter 2: Orange**

There were days where I was stripped bare, humilated, cursed on and left ashamed. As a Kunoichi, there were many missions that I was placed on. Because i was an adult, a female, of decent looks and single.

A lot of missions had left me repulsed, dirty. Of course i had a choice, but since I had no strings, no families, no husband, it was right for me to take it. The first time was difficult, the second dirty, the third left me ashamed and the fourth felt like i deserved it. I guess maybe that's when I lost sight of the colours. Or was it from Neji's death.

But I had always known what I was getting myself into. Missions like this were explained, all scenarios foreseen. And it is because of the war that i have done what i have done. There should be no more war. No more loss. And death should only be certain for individuals of a dangerous nature.

And yet here I am in the mission briefing with Lee and Sasuke. I was listening to the seventh. The mission was simple. I was to seduce the enemy-nin, Katashi and pry out as much info as i can. The information will then be conveyed to Sasuke and Lee. We were to simply retrieve the scrolls next.

I do not get pissed easily. For people who knew me, they would say that I am level headed. But today, clearly i was losing whatever patience i have left.

"That's it," I whispered. "That's the mission."

"Did you say something, Tenten?" Naruto asked.

I pursed my lips. "Shikamaru told me the truth. He told me that they have his eyes." Lee looked confused."They desecrated his body and all you have me do is to find a...a... bloody scroll." I stated, slowly. "I was told that this is an S-ranked mission."

Naruto took a sidelong glance at his advisor.

"She will find out eventually." Shikamaru explained.

"He is no longer in this world,Tenten." Naruto explained, his hands folded on his wooden desk. I opened my mouth in disbelief. "What is more important is that scroll. Without it...It's important to ensure the safety of Konoha."

"OUT!" I snapped. "All of you out."

Lee looked outwardly shocked by my outburst. "Tenten..."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"They took Neji's eyes, Lee. They took it." I gave a heated gaze to both Sasuke and Lee. "I can see that it's not a shocker to Sasuke so he knew about it." I stated, putting two and two together. "Lee, please, I'm begging you, the door is that way." I pointed towards the wooden door. "You too, Sasuke."

Lee glanced at both the hokage and Tenten, noticing the tension. "Fill me in, Sasuke," his voice too a few levels low. The green beast of Konoha left for the hallway and Sasuke followed suit.

* * *

"Are you absolutely sure about this? Neji's curse seal was activated when he died." I stated.

"Yes. But after everyone woke up from the infinite tsukuyomi from the 4th shinobi war. His eyes were gone. We thought it was normal until one of Hinata's relative from the branch side passed away and the eyes were still there." Naruto mentioned.

I leapt over his desk, slamming his chair down and straddling his waist. My right hand fisted his collar. "And how long have you known, Naruto?"

"Tenten, that is the hokage!" Shikamaru said sharply.

"How long, Naruto?" I repeated loudly, ignoring Shikamaru's words. "How long did you keep this from me?"

"10 years now." His blue eyes bore into mine. He spoke the words so softly. "Tenten, we all lost something from the war."

"Something?" I gave a small laugh." Neji is no object."

"You know that's not what he meant, Tenten," Shikamaru intercepted.

"What you got from the war Naruto is Hinata. You met your parents. The entire village, the entire shinobi world acknowledged you. YOU..." she tightened her fists around his collar, ripping the fabric in the process. "... you became hokage."

Naruto's eyes widened. The grief he saw in Tenten's eyes was overwhelming.

Tenten almost cried out but she did not. She had a point to make. "What did I get from the war, Naruto? Please... tell me." Naruto averted his gaze. "Gai is crippled. Lee goes on rampages during missions. He has nightmares. I never got to meet my family. I don't know who they are. They are not even in Konoha records. After the war, everyone looks at me with pity." I closed my eyes painfully, and released the hokage's collar, a piece of the torn fabric in my hand. "After the war, I did all I could to prevent another war from happening." I stood up and watched as Naruto got up to his feet. "I went on missions that you would never put Hinata, Sakura, temari or Ino in because they mean something to you... something to someone"

I glanced at Shikamaru, who did not meet my gaze.

"I gave konoha everything. As a WOMAN, I gave everything to konoha," I whispered, my voice low and trembling. "So, tell me, Naruto. Why did it take 10 years?"

Naruto's expression darkened. "This is not easy for me, Tenten. I am the hokage. There are things that I have to do to maintain balance."

"Don't give me this shit," I spat. "Tell me what is going on?"

"Seventh," Shikamaru said. "Tell her."

I looked at the advisor expectantly. "What is the enemy planning?" I hissed.

"We are not sure exactly." Shikamaru explained. "But the scroll is important in knowing what they are planning to do."

I crossed my arms. "And in your expert and genius opinion Shikamaru, what is in that scroll?"

Shikamaru sighed at my sarcastic tone.

Naruto instead answered. "A revival jutsu for the Hyuuga eyes. The nine fox had destroyed the Hyuuga eyes on my mission to the moon years ago. The doorway to the moon was destroyed. The enemy may have found other means to obtain the Hyuuga eyes secret."

"So, they are using his eyes then."

"Yes."

"He is a prodigy. He would be the best candidate."

"That is what we are afraid of," Naruto agreed. "But with the scroll in our keep, if this mission succeeds, we can prevent this."

I shook my head. "This could have been prevented years ago. I would have gone searching."

And with those ending words, I left the hokage's office.

* * *

Naruto sighed in defeat. "We did not tell her the absolute truth."

"It is to protect her," Shikamaru stated.

"Is it wise for Tenten to be placed on this mission, Shikamaru?" Naruto stated, adjusting his jacket.

"To put in a Hyuuga is a huge risk." Shikamaru said. "And if the reports are true and the enemy-nin is planning on reviving Neji, she can defeat him."

"That is what i am afraid of. She might not be able to defeat him."

"Tenten will do the right thing."

Naruto walked towards the window overlooking the village and after a long moment, he spoke. "Everything she said was right about me. I gained everything from the war."

"Do you truly believe that?" Shikamaru asked.

"No," he hesitated. "But there is truth in it."

* * *

I met Lee and Sasuke at the entrance of the hokage building. Lee gave me his usual smile, but I knew from the lack of 'ping' in his teeth that he was not his usual self.

"I take it that the talk went well," Sasuke stated, taking in my determined and agonised face.

"I had to rough him up a little before he... talked," I said, realising that a piece of Naruto's collar was still in my fist. I pushed it in deep into my pockets.

"He never was a smart one," Sasuke stated.

I managed a small smile. "And here I thought you always had a stick shoved up your arse." He gave a smirk. "Fatherhood made you a better person, Sasuke," I said softly. I tilted my head, pointedly towards an individual behind him at a distance.

"Father," a young girl shouted running towards them, an exact replica of Sasuke.

"Sarada," Sasuke said, his voice soft and affectionate. He gave a playful flick to his daughter's forehead.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, Sasuke."

"Hn."

Lee and I watched as the Uchiha father and daughter walked away.

"I take that Sasuke has told you," I said, as I watched Sasuke and Sarada's figures disappear around a corner.

"Yes," Lee stated. "Neji meant the world to us."

"He was your goal and he was my..." What was neji to me? "Our best friend, our comrade." But he was more than that to me.

"What are you planning to do, Tenten?"

"To complete this mission."

"I know you, Tenten," Lee said, giving that sad smile. "You're going to find them."

"Are you telling me not to, Lee?" I asked.

"No, I'm asking you to do it but with me," Lee said, a hand on my shoulder. "Don't do this alone."

I did not reply. After all, there was nothing else to be said.

* * *

 _ **3 days later...**_

I was at a poorly lit diner at the Northern part of the region, halfway between Suna and Konoha. It was said that Katashi and his men would be here as it is one of his favourite places for sake, business and women.

The boys, Lee and Sasuke were staking the area around. With an Uchiha and a spandex clad, bushy eye browed male, they were sure to stick out like a sore thumb.

As this was a seduction mission, I decided on a black, sleeveless skin skimming dress with high slits for mobility. I sat, on a tall wooden stool, near the owner of the diner and crossed my legs, revealing toned tan legs.

The diner is to close in another hour. I sighed, deciding to wait for another half an hour before calling it a night and coming up with plan B. Maybe Sasuke and Lee had better luck than I did.

"It's late for a woman such as yourself to be sitting here alone." I turned to my side and noted a man with a caterpillar tattoo on his neck taking a seat beside me.

"He stood me up," I told him, meeting his gaze. A dark scar on his chin was evident. It was Katashi.

"How many sakés did you have waiting?" he asked.

I showed him the 6 empty saké cups on the counter.

"I'm surprised you're still sober."

I turned, facing his direction, and uncrossed my legs, letting him see a hint of my red underwear. "I can hold my drinks well."

"I can see that." His eyes twinkled mischievously. "I would like to buy you another cup but I think you have had enough."

He had a different approach. I can see why he is a ladies man. "Then, let me buy you a drink," I offered, nodding to the dinery owner for a cup of saké. "Who says the men has to pay for everything."

He gave me a sly smile. I gave him a wink. He played right into my hand. He thought he had gotten me.

* * *

5 minutes after the diner had closed, I dragged an intoxicated Katashi down the street with his arms around my shoulders.

"Hey," I told him, tapping his cheek. "Where are you staying?"

"mmshiibihbfrf," he slurred.

"Where are you staying?" I asked him again, pinching his waist.

"mienfiwebfn."

I looked around the street and noticed that it was empty. It did not even occur to me that Katashi would be alone without his men. He made this too easy for me. I dragged him into a darkened alleyway, sat him against the moldy wall and began searching his pockets and bag. There must be some indication of a scroll or an address of his hideout.

Suddenly, he grabbed my wrist. His grasp surprisingly strong. "...a thieffffff."

I gave a small yelp and regained my composure. "Where are you staying?" I repeated again.

"... your placeeeee," he slurred.

"KATASHI!" a male called from afar and ran towards my direction. He took out a medium sized dagger, the metal glinting in the moonlight.

I took a few steps back, eying the weapon. If I needed to, I would pull out my own blade strapped to my inner thigh.

"What did you do to him?" He asked me, his large mole on his bottom lip quivering with each word.

"Nothing," I told him, brown eyes large and frantic. The very front of an innocent and weak woman. "I wanted to take him home but he was too heavy so I set him down here to rest."

Katashi's companion, gave her a oneover. "Hmph, just another one of his conquests then."

I raged on inside, wanting to tackle him to the floor for that remark.

He picked up Katashi and flung him over his shoulders, showing me his brute strength. He tucked his dagger into a pouch around his waist. He gave me another oneover, seemingly undressing me with his eyes before turning around and walking away.

A few minutes later, drenched in the moon's light, 2 shadows approached me. It was Sasuke and Lee.

"Did you get it?" Sasuke asked.

"There was nothing on him," I said. "But I got something even better."

"What's that?" Lee questioned.

"An address and a meeting time," I said, revealing the piece of crumpled paper in my fist. The meeting place was west of the village of Rock, 4 days from now at noon.

* * *

"YOSH," Lee said, his fist in the air. "This should be the place."

We were behind a large rock formation, well-hidden from anyone. We arrived 2 days earlier in hopes of scouting the place and understanding the landscape.

"This seems an odd place for a meeting," I spoke.

"But a good place for hiding," Sasuke said, his bangs shifting from the wind, showing his rinnegan. From villagers at the village of rock, it seemed that this place, Stone Peak, had many hidden caves and an extensive underground system. Due to the loose rocks and unpredictable weather, it was a place where the villagers avoid.

I looked at Lee and we exchanged a common understanding. Neji's eyes would be kept here.

Lee took out a map which was sold at the rock village. He was advised that the landscape is ever changing due to the frequent stone avalanche. "If the map was correct, this would be the place."

"Let's go," I said, and we headed in the direction of the area.

"Something's not right," Sasuke mentioned. "Look at the rocks above."

Lee and I looked upwards, a large boulder was seen in a strange angle, as if placed there intentionally.

"A trap." I unsheathed my sword strapped to my back. "How do they know that we are here?"

"I don't think it's meant for us." The Uchiha's red eye was swirling. "Whoever, they plan on meeting, they plan on killing."

"Look an entrance to a ..."

"Cave," I intercepted Lee. "This was not in the map."

"Another one in the east," Sasuke stated.

I noticed another boulder on above of the entrance of a cave.

"There's another one over there too," Lee said, pointing behind Sasuke. SImilarly, another boulder was placed on above the entrance.

"Whatever is in that cave, they are making sure that no one goes in," I said.

"Or out," Sasuke continued.

"We should go in," I suggested.

"Yosh," Lee agreed.

We looked at the Uchiha survivor expectantly. "We stay together."

* * *

We had walked a few hundred meters in the narrow passageway of the cave, which was illuminated with floating fire torches. Soon the passageway opened up to a large open space.

"Tenten," Sasuke called out, holding my arm as I dangled off a ledge. Lee helped pull me back to safety.

"That was close," I told them. "Thank you."

"This is it?" Lee questioned. In response, I threw a rock down the open space. The sound of the rock, bouncing of walls and 'plop' into water could be heard.

"I'd say its 100 meters down," I said.

I saw the Uchiha go on his knees and felt the wall of the cave below with his hands where I had almost fallen off. "A ladder," he said.

"Ladies first," I said, feeling the metal foothold with my foot before climbing down the ladder. It took a few minutes before I finally reached the last foothold, I took a leap down expecting hard ground but instead a body of water. I floated, waiting for my teammates and heard two splashes nearby.

"It's strange but I'm not wet," I told them, feeling the dryness of the twin buns on my head.

"I don't think this is real water." Sasuke stated. "In Naruto's previous mission, he mentioned of this. A beginning to the portal of the moon."

Before I could even respond, Lee spoke. "Did you see that?" Lee stated, his head tilted downwards.

It was difficult to see but there was a faint blinking light at the bottom of the Lake. I dove into the water, swimming deeper and deeper, turning around once to see Lee and Sasuke following me closely.

I reached the ends of the water as I found myself falling, feeling the rush of wind on my face, when finally my body met hard granite.

"It's you," I heard a man call out in distaste. "I knew you were a Kunoichi." The man with the mole pulled out his dagger and threw it in my direction. I rolled a few feet to my left, the dagger bouncing off the hard ground.

I cursed. I landed right in the middle of their lair. There was about 30 men around me, some I realised were wanted ex - shinobi from their various villages.

"Chidori," Sasuke called out, as I saw a ball of electricty come from above. The lightening technique struck the man who threw the chakra infused dagger at me.

"Leaf gale whirlwind," Lee vigorously said taking down another three as he landed on the ground.

"Tenten find Katashi," Sasuke called out, as he unsheathed his sword of kusanagi. He was between me and the other men.

I nodded, glancing at Lee as he gave a flying kick to a shinobi clad in all blue. I surveyed the room, and noticed a doorway and ran towards it.

* * *

I was determined to find Katashi, the scroll and Neji' s eyes. So far, I had met a few enemy nin along the way. If it was not because of their surprise to see me and my poisonous shuriken, I would have had a hard time to disable them.

A few more wrong turns and I saw Katashi in a large room with scientific equipment and a large metal platform. He bent over the table, pouring over a brown cloth on the table. I suspect that that was the scroll.

"Katashi," I called out. His caterpillar tattoo squirmed as he turned around to face me.

"You," he hissed. He quickly rolled the scroll and sealed it in a tube container.

"I can make this easy for you," I told him as I watched him move away from the desk and to the cabinet behind him. " Give me the scroll and I will not harm you."

"Do you think I would believe the words of a Konoha shinobi," he told me, his lips curled in anger as he gazed at my hitai-ate with hatred.

I threw a kunai at him, grazing his ears. "That was a warning," I told him.

His green eyes narrowed in anger. "You think I am afraid. You should be afraid. What I have planned for this world is revolutionary."

"Give me the scroll."

He gave me a dirty smile and proceeded to perform seals. Chains appeared surrounding Katashi like an octopus. With a hand sign release, the chains shot towards me. I took out my three section staff and parried the attacks.

I threw explosive tags at the chains and watched as the links of the chains broke. The explosive power flung me and Katashi against opposite walls. It was then that I saw a jar with eyeballs in a liquid formula, a hand reach from where Katashi was standing. Without a doubt those were Neji's eyes.

I aimed my chakra infused strings at Katashi hoping he would not notice them but he did as he used a rock technique to weigh them down.

He followed my gaze towards the jar. "I see that was your objective all along." He smirked, grabbing it from the shelf. " Did you know him?" I glared at him in distaste. "I was fortunate to have found such a treasure. I heard he was one of the best. But to die young. He must not have been as good they thought him to be."

"I won't let you talk about Neji that way."

"Is that his name." He gave me a hideous smile. "You make this too easy for me." He opened the jar grabbing the two eyeballs in his right hand. " You must be that girl. You know eyes hold memories because they are ever seeing. When I perform my experiments I saw them. Before I kill you I'll tell you this. He kept you under his watch." He watched my pained gaze. "Lovers I see."

"He was my teammate." I lunged at him, with kunai in both hands. We tumbled to the ground. Katashi kicked my stomach as I tried to strike his chest with the kunai.

"When you are desperate, you lose sight of whats important," he told me as I realised that his chain had snaked around my body squeezing it tight. I could feel a ribcage cracking.

He took out the scroll, placing it on the metal platform. He placed Neji's eyes in the middle of the scroll and watched as the eyeballs floated upwards. He mumbled a few words which I could not catch and the black iris of the Hyuuga eyes returned to the Byakugan.

"Stop," I told him. I struggled to break free from my binds.

It was then that everything went south. A sphere of light appeared. The power emanating as intense as the Chidori and Rasengan combined.

Katashi quickly returned the eyeballs into the jar and scroll into the cylinder tube as he heard my comrades round the corner and into the room. Without warning he jumped into the sphere and disappeared.

"Damn it," I cursed as the sphere was quickly dissipating. I managed to stand up, despite the binds around my torso and leapt into the sphere, following him.

* * *

"TENTENNNNNNN!" Lee called out, desperation weighing heavily in the air. His eyes wide in alarm as he saw his female teammate get sucked into a white ball and disappear with the enemy.

"Shit," Sasuke muttered. "I can't sense her chakra."

"What jutsu was that?"

"It's not a jutsu." Sasuke stated. "She could have been taken to another dimension."

Lee let out a breath, his shoulders sagging in relief. His eyebrows creased. "We need to find a way in."

"This may be similar to the Ootsutsuki clan powers that I faced in the war."

"So, the only way in is for the portal to be opened again," Lee stated, in distraught.

"Hn." Sasuke appeared calm but his eyes told of a storm. "We have no choice but to wait."

"Tenten..." Lee repeated, his eyes shut tight. Sasuke noted that he was praying.

"She's a fighter."

Lee's eyes opened, new found determinaton evident. "Yes... Yes, she is."

* * *

I was floating. My body suspended in time and space, arms wide open, legs limp and head tilted back. I was free from the chains.

I came to, head heavy as if Lee had given me a well-placed punch. Wherever this place was, it was empty, the enemy nin was nowhere to be seen.

A piece of Naruto's torn collar, that seemed to have made its way out of my pocket, floated in my peripheral view along with pieces of the metal chain. I reached out, touching the fabric, feeling the well-worn cotton on my fingers, wondering what colour this is.

It's funny how you remember things of the past during moments of calm. At that very moment, I remembered why Neji died. He died believing that Naruto would make a difference to the world and because he had made a difference to Neji.

And then I remembered what orange was. I remembered, in that instance, how much vitality, hardship and determination was in the colour orange to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Naruto deserved the title of hokage. And Neji deserved the title of a genius for his foresight and sacrifice.

I muttered a short curse. I would have to apologise to the seventh once I am back.

"This does not seem like a genjutsu," I told myself. Whatever this place was, I realised that Sasuke and Lee might not be getting here so soon.

I closed my eyes, wondering what to do. What would Neji do. It was 15 years after his death, and I still am haunted of his annoyingly beautiful ebony hair, his slight smile, intense eyes and his curse seal.

It was then that a bright light appeared a few feet away. It seemed like a door of sorts. I flipped my body around and swam towards the door. I slipped a hand into my pocket and retrieved a kunai as I do not know what was waiting for me at the other side.

And off I went into the unknown...

* * *

 **To be continued...**


	3. Chapter 3 - Yellow

A/N: Thank you to all those who have read and reviewed.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

 **7 Colours of the Rainbow**

 **Chapter 3: Yellow**

As a shinobi, we often get lost. We wander. We find our way. We may get lost again and then we wander...

I saw it happen to Sasuke when the Uchiha clan was slaughtered. I saw it happen again when he decided to destroy Konoha for what they did to Itachi. I saw it happen to Naruto when he failed to bring back Sasuke. I saw it happen to team 10 and Kurenai sensei, when Asuma sensei was killed in battle. I saw it happen to many people.

Shamefully, Lee saw it happen to me when Neji was gone. Lee said I was chasing shadows. Gai sensei said I was finding a ghost.

Like most who get lost, they often find their way. All of them have found their way. Sasuke, Shikamaru, Hinata, Sakura to name a few. But I never stopped wandering and every turn I made in life I found myself even more lost.

And now, at this turn of life, I am chasing remnants of what used to be... alive.

And here I am wandering. Still searching.

I slowly pulled myself up and staggered a few steps forward. Although my head was still muddy and vision blurred, my objective was clear. I saw Katashi a 100 meters away. The explosive tag managed to injure him as he was limping.

"Katashi!" I yelled, my throat dry and scratchy.

He turned, eyes surprised that I was there. He picked up his pace and crossed the road.

I followed, ignoring my physical exertion and ran.

I made a mistake that day when I crossed the road. Usually I was more cautious. But I failed to see the large red carriage careening down the street. The impact threw me off my feet and I landed in a heap a good 10 feet away.

I knew that Katashi would have gotten away by now and I was in no shape to chase after him.

Time slowed as my head cleared and my senses came to. Sometimes...no. Most times when you wander, you will end up in a place where you are not familiar with. Just like right now.

I heard the surrounding noises. They came all at once, intrusive and overwhelming. And the smell although similar to Konoha, with the underlying whift of Sakura and Orchids, still smelled foreign.

The landscape although familar from my view, the buildings were not as it seemed to pierce the sky.

And the footsteps that I heard rushing towards me were heavy and desperate.

I turned slightly, expecting Katashi to come finish me off when I saw a ghost.

Alabaster skin, dark black hair and pale pale eyes. He seemed to be reaching towards me.

I felt whispers of warmth on my cheek. "Neji," I whispered as my vision left and my world went black.

* * *

"Are you sure she said your name nii-san," his cousin said, eyes as pale as his own. A unique physical attribute only a Hyuuga has.

"I am sure of it, Hanabi," The older cousin mentioned. "She knows me."

"We should report this to the Akatsuki," Hanabi stated. "If what they say is true, she may have answers."

"No. We keep her here."

"Neji nii-san. The police should know. Our family has lost too many people." His cousin looked at him exasperately. "Do you honestly think that Hizashi-sama would not find out that you are holding the enemy in your house?"

"I don't think she is one of them," he stated, watching the stranger breath. After the accident, he had carried her back to his car and took her to the hospital where he had the Head of the Konoha Hospital, Tsunade save her.

 _A few hours ago..._

 _Tsunade took a long draw of her cigarette and breathed it out in short operation had taken her 4 hours. The damage done to the patient was extensive. But the old injuries on the patient's thin body, the scars; both old and new were what had taken her aback._

 _"Don't give me that look," the busty older woman stated, noticing the look that the younger Hyuuga man gave her. "I deserve to have this smoke after that surgery."_

 _"How is she?"_

 _"I've fixed her up but she needs time to heal," she stated. "Do you know who she is?"_

 _"No. She came out of nowhere." He took a glance into the room where the stranger was put in. "I didn't have time to press the breaks."_

 _"That girl has been through war and back," Tsunade said, throwing the cigarette on the white marble floor of the hallway. She stepped on the still lit cigarette with her heel, diminishing whatever flame was there. "She has extensive well had extensive injuries. There was two broken ribs that I had to fix. One of the ribs had been broken twice before. A lot of scars too but they are hardly noticeable. Whoever was her doctor did a great job."_

 _"Hn," Neji stated, unsure of what to answer. "It looked like she was chasing after someone."_

 _"Why would you say that?"_

 _"A feeling." No. It was not just a feeling. During the moments before his car slammed into her, he saw her calling out to someone and the look of desperation in her eyes. Like him, she too did not see him coming. She was too focused on what was ahead._

 _"She is not from around here," Tsunade confirmed. "I can not find her in the hospital database." Having only one hospital in Konoha, most citizens would have sought treatment at least once even for compulsory vaccinations. "I will ask the nurse to call Akatsuki to find her family."_

 _"That won't be necessary," He said. " She will stay at my residence until she recovers." He noticed Tsunade raise an eyebrow. "I'll call the Akatsuki myself. I would like to... apologise when she wakes up. I don't want her to think that this is a hit and run case."_

 _"This is not hospital procedures."_

 _"Since when have you followed them."_

 _Tsunade gave a short 'hmph', knowing that arguing with him will get her nowhere. Hyuuga's are characteristically stubborn. "Very well. I'll arrange for her to be sent to your house."_

"Nii-san, Nii-san," Hanabi called out, snapping her fingers into front of his face. "Did you hear what I said?"

"Hn." Neji stated, his reverie broken.

"So what did I say?" She folded her arms.

"..."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Where do you expect to hide all these weapons?" She questioned.

Neji had found them on the bunned-haired woman when he carried her to his car. He had found her exceptionally heavy despite her small frame and when something had pricked him, he decided to do a small search. His reasoning is that he may find an ID on her or remove any objects that could give her more injuries. Running his hands on her body (Yes. A small part of him thought that she had felt soft and surprisingly she had extreme curves), he found weapons enough to kill a small army. From kunais to senbons, a sickle, a gunsen, a katana among others. They were weapons from the old japanese era. The only weapon missing was a gun.

"What if she really is an assassin? If she finds them then she'd kill us." Her eyes were round, thinking of the possibilities.

"And how do you know that she is an assassin?" He questioned.

"Don't pretend that you didn't see it. She had this in her possession," she held a piece of chain. "It has the Ootsutsuki emblem on it. "What if she is working for them? What if she went in front of your car knowing that you'd hit her and take her in?"

"That's a lot of ifs."

"Even so, nii-san. They had tried with Hinata but failed. And one of them is with us inside our house." She pointed at the recuperating, sleeping and sedated woman on the bed. "This is a good time for retaliation. We could torture her for information."

"We are torturing no one."

"Fine," she said, crossing her arms. "But it is a good idea. A very good one."

"I will let my father know but I want to question her myself."

"Honestly niii-san. An ambulance came by to drop her off. Do you think that Hizashi-sama would not notice by now."

Neji released a breath. Hanabi had a point."Take this." He gave her the two large duffel bags filled with weapons. "Hide it well."

She gave him a heated glare."Are you sure about this?"

"Yes. I will tell father tomorrow morning."

She took the two very heavy bags on each shoulder, almost losing her balance when trying to take the first few steps to the doorway. She wondered how the bun-haired girl had carried all these weapons and where could she possibly had stored them.

She glanced back at her cousin, who took a seat on a couch adjacent to the bed. His face impassive.

"A word of advice nii-san. Make sure you lock this door before you head over to your room to sleep."

With those words, she left wondering where on earth can she hide them.

* * *

For the longest time I had slept with nightmares. Often waking up glistening in perspire. I no longer had dreams. Only nightmares and the reality of life soon after.

But I had a dream. A beautiful one.

I had stirred from a deep slumber; a sleep that my body and mind had long forgotten. My body was all patched up but still sore. The healing method used was not similar to the technique and skills of Tsunade and Sakura but it would do.

I was dressed in a plain beige yukata made from the finest cotton and the bed was firm yet supple. The room although large was strange. It had objects which I was not familiar with; a computer like object but slimmer, more lightweight. A strange machine that blows cold air. A tank which holds fish of all shapes and sizes.

But what made the dream beautiful was him.

He sat across me in an arm chair. His long legs splayed in front of him, hands folded on his lap and face tilted down. He wore strange clothes. A white buttoned down top with dark blue pants. His face although the same, with the angular jawline was not taut with tension. He seemed at peace.

The sunlight streamed through the glass window behind him; creating a shower of light. It felt surreal. The room, brown in architecture was almost whitewashed.

I lifted my body carefully, sitting upright. Even in my dreams, my body still felt the pain.

I slowly let the blanket fall to the floor as I stood up. Barefooted I walked to Neji. Even if this was a dream, I wanted to see him. I wanted to touch him just one last time.

I pushed away a loose tendril of his hair to take in the adultness of his being. He had cheekbones, the chubb iness of his cheeks lost. A full mouth. His eyebrows strong and dark.

I traced his cheek, afraid to wake him up. But this was a dream so he would not. But he felt strangely warm and filled with life.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed my wrist as I was tracing his lips. Steel eyes gazed at me. Familiar but distant eyes.

My mouth dropped in surprise as I was caught unexpectedly. "This is a dream," I whispered to myself.

"What did you say?" He questioned.

"Yellow," I said as the colour flooded into my vision.

His eyebrows furrowed, digesting the word that I had spoken.

"Your eyes. You have specks of yellow in them."

He gave me an amused smile; a slight upturn of his mouth.

And at that moment, I wished my dream would stay this way.

* * *

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4 - Green

A/N: Thank you again to all those who have read and reviewed. Sorry for the long wait.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

 ** **7 Colours of the Rainbow****

 ** **Chapter 4: Green****

Throughout the morning she was quiet, pensive and a feeling that he knew well... in pain.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, watching her gaze shift from the window and settle on him. She averted her gaze as quickly as it reached his face when their eyes met. He noticed that her eyes were a shade of hazel.

"I've had worse," she stated quietly.

"Yes, I was told," he said, noticing the hint of bandage around her chest area. She made a small movement and the yukata shifted giving him a good view of the slope of her neck and collarbones.

She looked surprised by his statement and then ashamed.

"I caused you hurt," he continued.

"I coped," she stated, quietly.

He mused her words over in his head. It was a rather strange choice of words.

"Do you know who I am?"

And the words that she said next, sent a pulse through his chest. "I could never forget you, Hyuuga Neji. And I have tried."

"You have tried?"

"... Yes. It's difficult." She closed her eyes.

" What was difficult?"

"The memories," her voiced wavered. "The absence."

He decided to play along. "I am here," he stated.

"We both know that you will leave again." She stood up and walked over to the window, bathing herself in the virgin sun. "I did a lot of things after you've left that I'm not proud of." He sensed that she was battling herself with the words and it was most likely not directed at him. "I don't like what I've become."

"What have you become?" He urged her.

"Not enough. I was never enough. I couldn't save you then. I didn't guard your blind spot and now I'm blinded too. I can't even help myself."

"What happened to me?" A tear fell from her almond shaped eyes, sliding down her cheek. He almost missed it but the glint gave it away.

Her voice was heavy. Her eyes moist and her expression shows that she was reliving a nightmare. And the words that she said left him breathless.

"...You died, Neji."

* * *

I knew something was off. Years of being a shinobi had taught me to listen to my instincts. It had saved me on many occassions. And although I hoped I was wrong, I knew that the person before me was not the Neji that I knew. He was too cautious... no... he was more emotional.

My last few words, seemed to effect him. I could see him weigh my words in his mind. He was dissecting them, analysing them.

Is it possible that in my dreams, Neji did not know of his own death? Or was this my consciousness? I had never once come to terms with his death after all.

"I have yet to die," he stated.

"It seems so."

"I'm still breathing." He sat upright, body leaned forward and clasped hands on his knees. "The doctor mentioned that you have a concussion."

"A concussion."

"A concussion," he confirmed.

I tilted my lips upwards. "My head does not hurt." I scanned the room. Many objects familiar yet foreign. There was a sense presence in this room. A warmth that tingled on all my five senses. This does not seem like a dream. There were many things that I could not have imagined.

"That's good." He stood up and walked towards me. He was so much taller than I remembered, a good two heads taller. "What do you last remember?"

"A large object hitting me."

"That was my car." He looked at me, eyes piercing. "I... " He combed through his hand with his fingers. "I would like to apologise for the accident."

And just like that my body reacted. I pushed forward with my leg, my right shoulder ramming into his chest, slamming his body into the wall behind him. The clock hanging on the wall, tilted to the side. My right arm, pressed tightly against his throat. "Who are you?" I asked, releasing the pressure so he can speak.

"Neji."

"You are not Neji," I pressed. The Neji i knew only apologised once, to Hinata. The Neji I knew was too proud.

"Than who am I?"

My head felt heavy thinking of the past few days. I remembered going into the bright sphere. I remembered floating and my desire to capture Katashi. "This is not a jutsu. Not a dream," I muttered. "Is this another dimension?" I questioned to myself.

During my moment of weakness, Neji pushed back and flipped me so that it was I who was pinned against the wall. "I need you to calm down."

I raised my knee upwards, hitting him where it hurts most. He grunted and only tightened his held on me against the wall. He pressed his body towards mine so i could not knee him again."I don't know what jutsu you are using to change your appearance," I stated, my voice dangerously low. "But I don't appreciate you using my teammate's appearance." I weighed biting hard into his shoulder but decided against it when a thought came across my mind. "... Katashi. If you are working for Katashi, bring me to him and I will spare your life."

I felt his body tense up. "You know who Katashi is," I heard the Neji lookalike say.

"Yes. I don't have any business with you. You helped me. Bring me to him and I will overlook this encounter."

"Who are you?" he asked.

I could feel him release me. He walked a few steps back so we were face to face. "My name is Tenten," I said.

"Tenten," he repeated in a way only Neji would. My chest contracted tightly.

"Who are you?" I asked him again. His eyes met mine and it did not help ease the tightness in my chest. But before he could answer, a loud commotion could be heard outside.

We turned in the direction of the door in alarm. With quick movements the Neji lookalike opened the door and the words 'Hinata-sama' and 'Akatsuki' could be heard from unseen Hyuuga members.

"He followed you here." And with that he swiftly went out the door.

"Wha-," I managed to say.

He closed the door shut. I quickly ran towards it, turning the knob here and there, and yanking it to no avail. It seems that he had jammed the door on the other side. I could easily break down the door but it would mean running into other Hyuuga lookalikes which I know from having trained with one is troublesome to defeat.

My only option was out the window.

I grabbed the nearest chair, tucked under a study table, and swung it hard against the window.

The hard glass shattered.

And then, I jumped...

* * *

Hanabi had just finished burying the weapons under a large oak tree and was patting the soil down when she realised that she had left out the katana and what seems to be a scroll.

She let out a huge sigh. "Great. Now I have to dig up another hole." She had woken up a few hours before dawn to do this.

Suddenly, a large resounding 'shinnkkkkk' was heard, followed by raining glass and a chair... a broken chair. Hanabi covered herself with her arms , protecting herself from any more oncoming objects or glass. Then, came Neji's hospital guest.

She landed on all fours, her hands and knees were slightly bloodied due to the broken shards of glass.

"Hanabi," the twin bunned woman called out. Hanabi looked up and saw the woman brushing off the dirt and glass off her skin and clothes. "Where's HInata?" she asked.

Hanabi did not trust this woman. Of course Hinata and Hanabi were as different as night and day but HInata was still her sister. "I don't know," Hanabi stated. She watched the twin bun woman glance at the shovel, the fresh pile of dirt and raise an eyebrow. Then, the woman noticed the katana and scroll leaning against the tree.

"He's here," the woman stated, picking up the katana and tucking the scroll into her yukata. "You need to tell me."

Hanabi's eyes widened and she pointed in the direction of the greenhouse.

The woman nodded. "Hanabi, you need to get back in the house where its safe."

Hanabi watched her sprint across the large estate.

* * *

I ran until I reached a greenhouse. My lungs burned for oxygen and my ribcage was aching.

I didn't see anyone. But in the shinobi world that only meant there was always someone there.

I moved quietly, hiding behind shadows of the many flora and fauna until I heard whimpers and the sound of a spinning wheel.

It was a person who looked like Hinata only she was on the ground, tummy side down with a large pair of garden scissors in her hand. A wheelchair was on its side. It seems that she had lost her balance. In front her was Katashi, an ugly snarl on his face.

"You're still alive?" I heard him say.

"My family will come," Hinata said, her voice determined.

"That is what I am hoping for," Katashi spat.

"I won't let you."

He laughed. "You're a cripple. What can you do?"

Hinata flung the garden scissors at him, but he merely deflected. He came back at her, with a hard kick to the face. She yelped in pain, clutching her face.

I was confused as in this dimension it seemed that the Hyuuga lookalikes were not friends of Katashi but rather foes. I saw him ready his fist, and I got out of my hiding place, running at top speed and leaping into the air, katana high.

He saw me and deflected it by jumping towards Hinata. He grabbed a hold of her, a blade against her neck.

"You're not dead," he stated. "How truly wonderful."

"Let her go." I could see her pale desperate eyes.

He laughed. "You know. In a way you are my lucky charm. You led me here." I clutched my weapon tighter. "My plan is getting along faster much much faster than expected."

"Ahhhh," a person screamed as a large rock hit Katashi against his head. It took a few seconds and Katashi released Hinata who slid to the ground.

"Hanabi," I said, alarmed at the sight of her behind Katashi.

"That hurt, girl," Katashi mentioned, throwing a well aimed blade at her heart. I threw my katana, changing the direction of the blade to a tree a good one feet away from Hanabi.

I took out my scroll, bit hard into my thumb and painted a line of my blood along paper. "Shoshoryuu," I called out but nothing happened. No dragon. No rain of weapons.

Katashi tilted his head. "Oh you don't know do you on where you are."

I bit my thumb again and tried summoning shoshoryuu. It failed and I had no more weapons.

He laughed. "Our jutsus do not work in this universe."

"Dimension," I repeated.

"Not dimension. Universe," He laughed. "You see... I found an alternate universe. The same set of people but a different world, a different time. It's just unfortunate that they do not have our affinity with chakras and jutsus."

"Another universe." I shook my head, in denial.

"I'm a genius. A true revolutionary genius."

There was no denying it. Neji was too similar, the characteristics, his responses.

"Ahhh," Hanabi yelled again, throwing a rock which 'thudded' against Katashi's back.

Katashi was pissed and turned towards her but Hinata grabbed his right leg. He gave Hinata a hard kick in the gut.

"Stop it." I heard Hanabi protest.

I snapped out of my reverie and aimed a round kick to his head which he countered with a punch to my stomach.

He seemed surprised by my strength and staggered a few steps back. I do not need weapons. Being in Team Gai, I had always been good at taijutsu.

I fisted my hands and gave him a few hard jabs in the chest region. He snarled and knee kicked into my groin. But he was close enough for me to twist my body, grab ahold of his head and flip him over.

"Hanabi, find help," I told her and watched her run out the greenhouse.

I straddled his waist and punched him in the face. Once, Twice. "Where are his eyes?" I asked, noting that it was not on him.

He laughed, his mouth bloodied and right eye swollen. "It's a secret."

I gave him another punch. "Tell me. Or I swear to god..."

"You won't kill me," he stated. "I'm your only way back to our world."

"I swear to god..." I said. "If you don't tell me now..."

It was then that he had fisted some fresh soil in his hand and flung it towards my eyes.

I was temporarily blinded and he took the chance to fling me gave a hard kick to my already injured rib and ran.

* * *

I laid on the ground, my rib pulsing in agony. I tasted blood in my mouth. i must have bit my tongue when he had kicked me.

"mmmmmmhhhmmmm." I heard a soft groan.

"Hinata," I called out, crawling towards her and held her hand. "Help is on the way." I assessed her injuries. She would be fine but I am sure the pain was immense.

I could feel her grasp tighten around my hand and her eyes desperate. Her pale lips moved as if she had something to be said.

I declined my head. Her lips almost brushing my ear.

The words that came quietly from her mouth was as clear as day and as green as the greenery around us. "... Keep... Neji safe."

I shut my eyes tightly. "I won't lose him this time, Hinata." I noticed a smile touch her lips as she faded into black.

Because this time, like the colour green that I now see. Green the colour of life. It's a chance for me to correct my mistakes.

"HInata-sama." I heard a familiar baritone voice. Neji, a real life breathing Neji, was running towards us.

History will not repeat itself.

 ** **To be continued...****


	5. Chapter 5 - Blue (Part 1)

**A/N** : Thank you for reading and reviewing the chapters thus far. Please note that this chapter will be split into 2 parts due to length.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Naruto.

 **7 Colours of the Rainbow**

 **Chapter 5 - Blue (part 1)**

"Lee," Sasuke called out. He glanced to the corner of the room where Lee stood. Lee was staring out the window of their cheap rented residence just a distance away from the Stone Peak. There was something defeated about Lee. He used to be so proud. These days he was a shell of the happy, strange and lucid man that people knew to be the green beast of konoha. "We will get her back."

Lee turned around, his face with a worried expression. "It's been 3 days." They had taken turns to stake out the lair every few hours in hopes that Tenten would appear. Lee had insisted to stay despite Sasuke's statement that it is unlikely that the orb of light would appear at the same location twice. It would depend on where she was.

"She's strong... resourceful," Sasuke mentioned. "She's fine."

"How do you know?"

"Because if I were to fight against either of you, it would be a pain."

Sasuke saw Lee break out into something that resembled a smile. "Yes... yes it would."

"I found something," Sasuke said, pointing towards a book that he had found stashed in a dark corner of the lab after Tenten had disappeared.

"What is it?" Lee made his way beside Sasuke. The book consisted of notes, diagrams, surgical pictures and old articles.

"There was a chapter about a parallel universe."

"You mean a world like this."

"Hn," Sasuke replied. "It seems that she may be there."

"Is it possible?"

"The Ootsutsuki clan had believed so," the Uchiha man started, scanning the page. "However, Kaguya Ootsutsuki had forbid against further exploration as it may cause unbalance."

"So the eyes..." Lee sat on the bed adjacent from where Sasuke sat. "There may be another Neji and..."

"He wants to ressurect them."

"Imagine the possibilities," Lee stated. "If he succeeded..."

"He could attain the other clans bloodlimits too," Sasuke confirmed.

"We need to go back to Konoha."

"You should stay." Sasuke had long left the boy he used to be. He understood now the meaning of comradeship and friendship. He also knew the strong bond between Lee and Tenten. Lee would want to stay.

"We'll both go." Sasuke watched as Lee made his way to the bathroom.

"...Lee"

"If Neji is there, she would stay," Lee said, his eyes moist. "We have to find a way to go to her."

Lee had made his decision. He just hopes that Tenten is alive till he gets there.

* * *

I had woken up to the sounds of dripping water, 'beeps' and a heavy head. My eyes adjusted to the bright room with fluroscent white lights. I found myself to be on a hard bed, I tried to move my limbs when I realised that my hands were shackled to either side of the bed.

"You're awake," he stated. I turned to the other occupants of the room. Red eyes... I remember those red eyes.

"Sasuke..."

"Ehhh," the other person stated. "She knows your otoutou."

My eyes adjusted and finally I saw who it was, Itachi and Deidara.

"She looks like she saw a ghost," Deidara mentioned.

"To see you in person..." I croaked upon meeting the infamous Uchiha. "He really does resemble you... Itachi-san."

Itachi gave me a cold stare. I had never actually seen Itachi up close before. I heard stories. But this was not my world and the Itachi that breaths in this world seemed somewhat more pleasant than Sasuke. And Deidara well he was... still into clay figurines as I noticed a clay dove tucked neatly into his pocket.

I looked around the room. There were machines, a chair and a small cupboard. Everything was white. "... hospital?" my voice croaked.

"Yes," Itachi spoke.

I laid back in my bed. The memories of yesterday came in broken pictures. Neji running. Neji checking my pulse, his touch felt like butterfly wings on my wrist. Neji carrying Hinata bridal style. My attempt to stand but falling to the ground again. And finally, the colour green.

"Is there a reason why I'm chained to the bed," I said, my voice raspy.

"Until we can ascertain who you are," Itachi started. "right now you are under arrest."

"Under arrest," I muttered. I shifted my legs. It seems only my hands were shackled.

"Yes, under police arrest," Deidara stated.

"The akatsuki are police?" I muttered. This world seemed similar but I suppose the circumstances here are different.

"Tch... I admit he looks more of a delinquent," Deidara stated, smacking Itachi's shoulder. "But we are the police."

Itachi sighed. He flipped open a paper file. "It seems that you are not in any of Konoha's databases. No fingerprints, no DNA results, no medical records, no dental records. You don't seem to exist."

'So, this is Konoha,' I wondered. "I'm not from here," I stated.

Itachi gave me a hard gaze, his red eyes seemed to swirl. "What is your name?" Itachi asked.

"Tenten."

"Your full name."

"Tenten."

Itachi slammed the file shut. "I intend for you to cooperate."

"I am."

Deidara chuckled. "You shouldn't agitate him."

"I've handled my fair share of Uchihas."

Deidara gave a sidelong glance to Itachi who had an unfazed expression. "You know who Sasuke is?" Deidara asked. Although Itachi did not look interested, Deidara knew that it was on the Uchiha's mind.

"Yes," I said. I realised that the Sasuke in this world may be different and I should carefully select the words that I use next. "We grew up together."

"He never spoke about you," Itachi stated.

"He doesn't talk much." Our eyes met. I saw a hint of regret in his eyes. How many times have I seen that expression in myself when I look in the mirror.

"Well," Deidara stepped in after a long awkward silence. His gaze shifted from myself to Itachi. "I'll go straight to the point, it seems that the Hyuugas think that you are a trained killer."

My expression remained impassive.. It seems that the interrogation technique in this universe is very subdued. I was thinking that I would be beaten, hallucination injections given, fingers broken or food withheld.

"And you take the words of Hanabi seriously," I said.

Deidara let out a chuckle. "There's no beating around the bush with you is there." He took out his clay dove in his palm and seemed to run his thumb on the smooth surface. "You broke the window of the Hyuuga manor, jumped from a 3 storey building and you happen to know Katashi."

I stared at the white ceiling. What am I? Am I a killer? it's true... I have killed people in the past but they had deserved it. What they had done was unspeakable and caused terror to many villagers. "I am trained but I am not a killer," I said, finally.

"What do you do then?" Itachi asked.

"I protect..."

"What do you protect?" he asked, quietly.

I noticed a small window that was left ajar. The thin curtains shifted with each gentle breeze.

"...Konoha," I said finally.

* * *

Itachi and Deidara stepped out into the hospital hallway.

"She knows something," Itachi told his assigned partner, Deidara. Kisame his actual partner was pulled into another case.

"She's not telling us much," Deidara agreed.

The interrogation lasted an hour. They had asked about her involvement with Katashi, who he was, what his plan was and what was Katashi's interest with the Hyuugas. Despite her earlier statement that she would cooperate, she had chosen to remain silent.

She had only asked one question during the interrogation which is how Hinata was faring? After Deidara had informed that Hinata was well, she had nodded and proceeded to look out the window with a faraway look in her eyes.

"We need to take a more strong approach," Itachi stated, taking out his steel knuckle weapon.

"Hey," Deidara said, alarmed."I know your desperate."

Itachi gave Deidara a glare. "This is the most viable lead in 1 year."

"No matter what you do, Sasuke is..." Deidara stopped short at Itachi's dark expression. He sighed. "If you must." There was no changing Itachi's mind once it's decided. "I'll wait outside."

* * *

I heard the door open and it hit against the wall hard. I turned to my side and watched as Itachi took a seat, his hands folded on his lap. The sight of metal caught my attention.

"So, it has come to this," I stated, I pulled myself upwards and leaned against the headrest.

"You left me with no choice," he said, quietly. I did not notice it before but Sasuke's and Itachi's voice were similar.

"That's what people say once a decision is made," I said.

"This person is of particular interest to me," he explained. "I'd appreciate that you answer my questions."

"It's hard to trust someone when they shackled you to the bed," I said.

He gave me a cold stare. "If your answer is not to my satisfaction, I will act in a way that you will give me the right answer."

I nodded. "I don't doubt that, Itachi-san." My rib pulsed in agony. "The reality that I will tell you may be hard to believe."

His face remains impassive. "How do you know Katashi?"

"I do not know him." Itachi gave me a hard punch to my jaw. I could taste the blood in my mouth. He was strong. He packed a mean punch. "I do not know him on a personal basis," I continued, spitting out the blood, staining the bleached sheets a crimson shade. "I followed him here. He is of particular interest to me as well."

"How so?" Itachi asked, his jaw taut.

"He took something from a close friend of mine."

"And what is that," Itachi asked.

I closed my eyes painfully and turned to see Itachi waiting for my answer patiently. "... his eyes."

* * *

Itachi's blood ran cold. In his line of profession, he had seen many crime scenes, bodies, victims, interrogated murderers but this was different.

Somehow he knew she was telling the truth. Years interrogating criminals and other accused individuals, enabled him to differentiate the truth and the lies. Her facial expression was similar to that of Sakura's. Tenten looked broken... and vulnerable.

Itachi looked away, shamefully. "A few years ago, we found bodies in Konoha with specific parts of their bodies or organs taken. What does he need it for?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said in a voice so small. "I just want to bring back his eyes."

"Does it hurt?" he asked, his hand cupping her jaw softly.

She smiled, eyes scrunched up, with a hint of moisture at the corner of her eyes. "No," she assured him. "There are other things more painful."

"... Yes..." he agreed. "There are."

* * *

I watch him turn his gaze to a small fridge on the right hand corner of the room. He took out a container of ice and poured the contents into a towel. "Here," Itachi stated, proceeding to ice my jaw, slowly pressing the bruise that was slowly forming when a soft knock could be heard. He placed the towel on the bed beside me.

Deidara opened the door, his head peaking in. "Hyuuga Hinata is here," Deidara announced, his eyes shifting from Itachi to myself.

"Let her in," Itachi stated, walking towards the door.

Hinata came in or rather wheeled herself in. She was in a wheelchair, her face ash white. "I-Itachi-san. I came for T-Tenten-san."

"She is in police custody now," Deidara stated. "We are still questioning her."

Hinata's face gradually had a hint of pink. "She-she did nothing wrong. She s-saved me. If she is not the p-person of interest, please r-release her."

"Hinata-san..."

"She works for my f-father," Hinata stated. I looked at her in surprise but concealed it when Deidara gave me a one over.

"Your father..." Deidara started.

Hinata interrupted him. "I've seen her with my father. I-I know who she is."

"How is she working for your father?" Deidara asked.

"He-he never shared that information with me," Hinata said, her eyes focusing intently on the white marble floor in front of her.

"Very well, Hinata-san. If that is the truth," Itachi turned to face me. "Tenten-san, I expect you to..." He stopped mid sentence when he noticed that I was free from my shackles and standing by the bed, icing my jaw with my right hand.

"These are flawed," I stated, left hand outstretched to show the shackles.

"We will keep that in mind," Itachi smirked, taking the shackles from me.

"Itachi-san, I-I will keep in touch," Hinata stated, wheeling herself out into the hallway. "Tenten-san, if-if you could follow me please." I followed her into the hallway.

* * *

The blue eyed man turned to his partner. "Are we really letting her go?"

Itachi watched as the two females disappeared down the hallway. "Yes."

"Hinata-san is obviously lying."

"..." Itachi took off his steel knuckle and tucked it into his pants pocket. "Let them be. We are after the same thing after all."

* * *

 **30 minutes later...**

"We both know that I don't work for Hiashi-sama," I stated to Hinata after much silence. I was inside a large object designed for transportation of humans. It seemed that it was called a 'car'. It was fast and seemed secure. The exterior of the car was made of metal but it was not as solid as my blades. A man named Hyuuga Ryo was driving the car.

"I know," she said. Her handles fiddled with the hem of her skirt.

"How long has it been?" I asked as my eyes landed on her wheelchair.

"ah... 5 years now." She massaged her thighs. "Sometimes, I'd wake up and t-think that I felt something on my lower half of my b-body." She pursed her lips. "The doctor says it's p-permanent. I could n-never walk again." I looked out the window and watched as a little bit of Konoha pass by. "I've come to t-terms with it. I still have my h-hands to work with."

"It's difficult," I told her.

"It i-is difficult for me," she admitted, quietly. Her cheeks flushed. "It's the first time I'm admitting this. I don't want them to worry."

"It's difficult for me to see you like this." Her eyes widened in surprise. The Hinata I knew was happy. She was the perfect wife, friend and mother. The Hinata in front of me did not know her own value.

"He blames himself for what happened," she said.

I knew she was talking about Neji. "He had always held his family in the highest regard."

She looked at me in surprise. Then, turned to her hands on the lap."A lot of things has happened to my family, Tenten-san. But recently, the events has been escalating."

"What happened, Hinata."

"Years ago, there were a series of murders. The victims bodies were mutilated and different parts of their being were taken. Their eyes, their hearts, their skin, anything you can think of but no one person is the same. The akatsuki were targeted too but they are inpenetrable so far." Hinata tucked a tendril of her long hair behind her ear.

"The people in Konoha has been through a lot," I said, massaging my aching jaw. I was sure it was bruised. The ice has long since melted and the towel has dried up.

"A-ah," Hinata yelped. "Please u-use this." She took out a small glass jar. "It should help with the swelling."

I twisted open the lid, dipped my fingers into the jar and spread the cool gel over my bruise. "Your ointments has helped me on many occasions," I stated, before realising what I had spoken.

"Have we met, Tenten-san," Hinata asked. "I-I just have this feeling t-that..."

"We have," I spoke. The car came to a stop and I noticed a park. It was deserted but I could imagine the children playing in the sand pit and swings. "In a different place."

She nodded. "The akatsuki doesn't usually r-resort to violence. I-Itachi-san l-lost his brother a few years ago. He took..." she paused. "He took it hard."

"... S-sasuke," I said in disbelief, turning to Hinata. No. I refused to believe that this is the truth. What has happened to this world. The car started again, lurching forward. "He's so strong," I whispered.

Hinata's eyes were tormented. "Everybody in Konoha had l-lost someone dear to them. There was a p-point in time where there was a funeral every month," Hinata replied. She clenched her fists until they were white. "I lost my f-father." She pressed a button, and the window slid open. "Hanabi, she doesn't speak to me a-anymore."

Everything here seemed to be crumbling. "Hiashi-sama too," I said. My words seemed to decay.

"I was working in the greenhouse when I was taken. It was so fast. My father was nearby. He followed. He was taken too," she tried hard to hold in her tears. "It should have been only me alone." I put a hand over hers. Grief has taken too many people here. "My f-father told me that if I had the chance to escape. I should. One day when our door was opened, my father yelled for me to run. I did I ran." Her tears fell. "The capture screamed at me that he would kill my father." Tears. So many tears. "I wanted... I w-wanted to turn myself in again but-but-. I turned to see him slitting my fathers throat. And the b-blood... " Hot. Hot tears. "I found an opened window and jumped."

"When the akatsuki questioned me, I couldn't remember anything. I j-just couldn't remember." She wept into her hands. "I only r-remembered being taken and my father's throat being slit and the name Ootsutsuki Katashi. I disappointed many...m-many people."

I let her weep. Her heart must have felt so heavy all these years.

"I'm s-sorry," she said, finally. "It's been a while since..."

"It's ok." I gave her a small smile. It's been a long time since I had wept but I grieved. I had grieved every minute of every day since the war.

Silence ensued.

"Tenten-san," she said, her quiet voice slicing through the air. "I remember..." I turned to see her swollen red eyes and pink nose. "I remember where they took me..."

 **To be continued...**..


	6. Chapter 6 - Blue (Part 2)

**A/N** : Thank you for those who had read and reviewed.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Naruto

 ** **7 Colours of the Rainbow****

 ** **Chapter 6: Blue (part 2)****

The hardest part of living and loss, is not the memories or the funeral, but the gradual loss of pieces of what used to be. I did not lose Neji all at once but yet I did. His scents faded. The slight indentation of the patch of grass beneath the tree he frequently meditated under was gone. His favourite restaurant, stopped selling his favourite meal. His clothes were packed away and his bedroom was now a storage room.

I knew I was not the only one feeling this way. Lee and Gai Sensei felt it too. Our mistake was not talking about our loss. Our mistake was living as if Neji was there when he was not.

Hinata felt that way too about her father especially with her father's twin still alive.

"I remember... where they took me." I heard her say. "When I saw Katashi yesterday, the memories came flooding back." Her eyes were red.

"What do you remember?" I asked. This may be the first step in apprehending Katashi. So far, he has always been one step ahead.

"I was taken to an abandoned lighthouse on the cliffs by the sea," she said, her eyes shut painfully. "That night when I jumped, I fell into the seas. I felt a sharp pain on my legs. I must have hit some rocks. A stranger found me washed ashore on the beach."

"No one searched?"

"The akatsuki went searching but the lighthouse is too far away for them to think of it as feasible." HInata opened her eyes. "And I couldn't remember."

"Don't be too hard on yourself," I said.

"You said you protect Konoha," she pleaded, her eyes were wide.

"You overheard," I stated, referring to my conversation with Itachi.

She clutched her skirt. "I was outside the room at that time. I-I wanted to thank you. I d-didn't mean to, eavesdrop," she apologised. "I-I saw Katashi's expression when he saw you." She grabbed my hands, clutching it tightly. "He was so scared. H-how could such a horror know f-fear."

"... Hinata."

"P-please," she begged, she gripped my hand tighter. "I k-know you're after your friend's eyes." I winced. "I ask of you, when you go looking, please find my father's remains and bring him back."

"... Hinata."

"We never gave him a proper burial," Hinata said quietly, silent tears streaming down her face. "There was no body."

Did this world need me?

"I k-know I am asking too much of you and we had just met," Hinata said, releasing my hand. "But I have this f-feeling that you could help. T-that you're the only one."

"There is the akatsuki," I said.

"The people of Konoha have gone t-through so much. I don't w-want any more deaths," she said.

Was I dispensable? I knew that in my world, the people of Konoha celebrated me as their weapons mistress. But the world outside of Konoha, feared me, cursed me. I was known as a monster.

It seems that this world needed that monster.

"Katashi spoke to me in the greenhouse. He asked where Neji was. He said in exchange for information he would not pursue me," Hinata spoke softly. "I didn't tell him so he tried to beat it out of me. Thankfully, you appeared." Her dainty features were streaked with tears. "I can't lose him too."

"I won't let that happen," I told her. I would not let him die for the second time. The car stopped in front of a large iron gate. "I have a few conditions."

"Anything," she said.

"First, for you to stop crying," I said. She hastily, wiped her tears with the back of her hand and gave a small smile. "A bed to rest for a few days so I can heal from my injuries."

"You're welcome to stay with us for as long as you need."

"A map of Konoha," I verbalised. She nodded. "And your company once in a while." Her expression brightened. "I also ask that you do not speak of this to anyone." I noticed Hyuuga Ryo take a peek at me through the rear view mirror. "This includes you too." He nodded. "Not even your families." Both of them nodded again. "I will bring them back."

I will put an end to all this misery.

* * *

The weather in Konoha today was wet and dreary. Even Shikamaru had complained that he could not watch the clouds today.

A solemn looking hokage was sitting in his office. It did not help that his advisor had placed two more stacks of documents on his desk. "Shikamaru... Give me a break once in a while," Naruto complained, rubbing his temples.

"I don't have it any easier either, Seventh," Shikamaru stated, sighing. Back in his own office, he had as many stacks of documents to go through.

Several documents signing later, Lee had burst through the door of the Hokage's office. Sasuke followed a minute later.

Naruto looked at the door hanging on a single hinge and wondered whether he really needed a door in the first place. This was his 20th door that needsed to be replaced since he had taken the position of hokage.

He shifted his gaze to Lee and Sasuke who were drenched. Lee's hair gel had completely washed off and his hair was tousled. Sasuke, well, his hair was flat. "Where's Tenten?" He asked. There should be 3 people not 2. It was then that he noticed the dark mood surrounding his shinobi.

"We believe she's in a parallel world," Sasuke stated, breaking the heavy air.

Naruto closed his document shut and placed it on his 'completed' pile. "What does that mean?"

"It means that she's in another world," Lee said, his face devoid of any emotion. "In this book, the Ootsutsuki clan believes that we also exist in different worlds. But whether that world is similar to ours, the book did not indicate." Lee pointed to the book that Sasuke was holding.

"Explain from the start what happened?" Shikamaru asked, his hands folded across his chest.

Lee, then, explained how they had found Katashi's hideout, on how they had fought against missing nins and the sphere which Katashi and Tenten had jumped into. Sasuke had proceeded to explain, that the hideout was now empty. After Tenten's disappearance, they escavated the cave but found no more missing nins or information. The other missing nins that they had encountered earlier were deceased.

Sasuke also explained their theory on why Katashi had taken Neji's eyes and if Katashi succeeded in activating the Byakugan what it means for the other clans abilities.

"Seventh," Lee called out. Naruto looked up from his desk, a grave expression on his face. "You understand what this means right."

"Yes," The blonde haired man stated. "If we are not careful, the fifth shinobi war."

"We need to inform the tsuchikage, raikage, kazekage and others," Shikamaru expressed. "They need to be prepared."

"There is more," Sasuke stated. "As shinobi, we perform hand signs to activate our chakra and abilities. We know of only 12 signs. However, there is a 13th sign."

"A 13th sign," Naruto muttered.

"Yes," Lee confirmed. "The Ootsutsuki clan knew of a 13th hand sign but it was only passed down to a person in each generation. Katashi had found this 13th hand sign. He experimented with the hand signs and finally a portal was opened."

"The sphere," Shikamaru answered.

"Hn," Sasuke confirmed. "The book is actually Katashi's diary. He indicated that he had found another set of signs other than that for the portal using the 13th hand sign which will revolutionalise the world."

"What is this revolution?" Naruto asked.

"He did not indicate specifically," the raven haired man stated.

"At this point, we should assume that it is to reactivate Neji's eyes," Shikamaru voiced out.

"Give the book to Shikamaru," Naruto ordered. "This will be our top most priority." Sasuke placed the book in the advisor's opened palm. "Shikamaru, look into what Katashi is planning. And put that book under strict lock and key. We can't have anyone know about the 13th sign."

"You don't have to worry about that," Sasuke voiced out. "The only people who knows of the 13th sign... of what it actually is, is Katashi, Lee and myself."

"What does that mean?" Naruto asked, his expression serious.

"It means that I tore off the pages that speaks of the 13th sign," Lee said. He took a few steps towards the hokage's desk. "And I ate it."

Naruto's expression clouded. "... and what are you two planning to achieve?"

"We do not want it in the wrong hands," Sasuke said. But in actual fact, when they had a short break midway to Konoha, Lee had requested to see the book. Before Sasuke could even fathom what was going on, Lee had torn the 5 pages on the 13th sign and ate it.

"Are you saying that Konoha is the enemy?" Naruto challenged.

"No. But the village elders will want to utilise this power. Without understanding it, without any history of what it can do, I won't take that chance," Lee said.

"That is my decision to make," Naruto said, his voice 3 octaves higher. "I am the Hokage."

"The 13th sign can only be used by 4 groups of people," Lee calmly said. "Those with the ootsutsuki bloodline, the rinnegan, the byakugan and the sharingan. Do you understand the repercussions to this village?"

"Our village will consistently be on the guard. A rogue nin may use it for the wrong reasons," Sasuke added. "We also don't know the full requirement of this 13th sign. Can a person like Kakashi with a sharingan perform it too. If yes, we will be hunted. Not only those with the eyes in this village. But there are instances where a byakugan user has married outside their village for political reasons. What of them?"

"Both of you should have discussed this with me," Naruto said, his lips a tight thin line.

"Troublesome... but they have a point," Shikamaru verbalised. "We can't have this knowledge to be known to others."

Naruto sighed. "We still have to alert the other villages. Tell them that an Ootsutsuki clan member exists and that he has recruited rogue nins. Let them know that we are looking into it and for them to just enhance security in their villages."

Shikamaru left the office in search of Ino who would relay the message to the other village leaders.

"You two on the other hand..." Naruto started.

"We will bring back Tenten and capture Katashi," Lee said.

"How do you plan to do that?" The hokage asked.

" I will open a portal. We will go to where Tenten is," Sasuke stated.

"Can it be done?" The hokage asked.

"There is a possibility. But there is a main criteria that is required," Sasuke stated. "I need a part of Tenten for the portal to open."

"Hopefully, it'll bring us straight to her," Lee added.

"I'll leave this to you two. If you need help, send a word," Naruto stated. "I want you to find out Katashi's plan and stop it."

* * *

 ** **The next day...****

I woke up, alarmed, to the sounds of an arrow. There was no mistaking the soft whistle that the weapon makes when it pierces through the wind in search of its intended target.

I stumbled out of my futon. Hinata was kind enough to give me a room on the ground floor. It was more luxurious than what I was used too back at home. Glossy wooden floors, ornate animal designs on the wall and a thick plush futon. There was a large wardrobe filled with clothes that she had bought for my usage, a dressing table, some bandages, ointments, a medium sized bathroom with toiletries and a television.

I ran to the door, sliding it open, expecting to see an intruder, when I noticed Hanabi standing a few feet away holding a bow in her hand with a look of annoyance on her face. 60 feet away was a worn out looking target. Her arrow had missed, embedded in the ground to the left of the target.

The smell of toast filled my nostrils. My stomach grumbled. I looked to my left and saw a tray of breakfast placed outside my door. Orange juice, 2 slices of toast, scrambled eggs and sauteed mushrooms. I wore the indoor shoes that Hinata had given me and placed myself on the patio. My legs hung of the wooden inclination and shoes slightly grazed the top of the freshly cut grass. I slowly began to devour the food and watched Hanabi practice with the bow and arrow.

She realised I was there when I had already finished the food and was holding the glass of orange juice to my lips.

"How long have you been watching?" She asked. She looked flustered and scared almost.

I took a sip of the orange juice. "A while now."

"Well... whatever." She took another arrow from the basket, placed it on her bow and drew the taut string. With an exhale of a breath, she released the string and the arrow landed with a 'thud' at the outer rim of the target.

"Better," I said.

She whipped around, surprised by the compliment.

"It's the way you hold your bow, you know. If you'd adjust your fingers and your stance, you'd be hitting the target more." I placed my half filled glass of orange juice on the patio and made my way towards her. I shifted her stance. "When you draw the bow, your shoulder must be square. The string should be as close to your skin as possible." She took another arrow and made the necessary adjustments. "You have to tilt the bow upwards a little. The trajectory of the arrow is similar to an arch. The farther the target, the higher the incline should be," I explained, holding her arm and lifting it a little. "Ok, now release." The arrow hit the inner circle now a few inches from the bullseye.

"Show me," she insisted.

It's been a while since I used a bow and arrow. These days, I prefer to use senbons or my chakra strings. They were almost undetectable. An arrow whizzing through the air, made too much noise and alerted the targets. "Ok," I said, slowly, taking another bow and arrow which was available in the basket. The bow made in this world was a lot lighter and agile. I drew the string and released it. The arrow hit the bullseye. Again, I drew another arrow and it hit the bullseye. "Do you understand now?" I asked her.

She had an awe expression on her face. "I think so," she said, her voice brighter. She took an arrow, copied my stance and released the string. The arrow whizzed and finally landed the red circle in the middle of the target. Hanabi looked rather pleased with herself. She took another arrow and proceeded to repeat the steps and another bullseye.

"You're a fast learner," I told her, impressed.

"Neji was supposed to teach me but he... I don't really care if he doesn't really," she said. She drew the strings again. Her stance was wrong and before I could adjust it, she had released the arrow. It was making its way to a passing Hyuuga holding a load of laundry on the far right of the target. I quickly drew the arrow and released it. My arrow hit the stray arrow, changing its trajectory. Both the arrows embedded a good few inches from the passerby's feet. The middle aged Hyuuga yelped in surprise.

"That was close," I said, turning towards Hanabi. "Never lose sight of your target."

Her face reddened. I placed the bow back into the basket. "...Are you an assassin?" She asked. She was more curious than scared.

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"Because you seem so good at this and you have so much weapons," she explained.

"I like collecting weapons," I said. "They're shiny and sharp."

"That doesn't prove anything," she said.

"I suppose it doesn't," I stated. "I practiced martial arts since I was a kid. I was good at it."

Hanabi eyed me suspiciously. "I guess... If you really were an assassin, you wouldn't have saved my sister."

I shrugged. "You have a point," I teased.

"You're pretty cool," she said. I failed to understand the terminology 'cool' but the word 'pretty' was there and judging from how embarrassed she looked when she uttered the words, I must have been complimented. "Do you think you could teach me how to jump from a 3 storey building like that and land perfectly?"

"I don't think that's a very good idea," I replied. "That was a one-off thing," I lied. I had jumped many a times before. "I was on medication and I was lucky." She looked disappointed. "Anyway, who's idea was it to place the targets in the middle of the Hyuuga compound? It's not very safe is it?"

"That would be me." A voice called out.

I turned to the speaker and saw Hiashi-sama. Beside him was Neji, who, even in this world, wore an impassive face. I automatically bowed.

"Our estate is far too large. With the recent security breach, we will not take any further risks," he explained.

"Father," Neji said. I stood up straight again and finally realised that this was Hyuuga Hizashi. "This is..."

"Of course, I know who this is," Hizashi stated, he made his way towards me and placed his hands on my shoulder. "You are the fetching lady that my son's car had hit. And you had helped Hinata too. No wonder he is quite taken," he said, laughing out loud. Neji scolded. "I saw you help my beautiful niece. What skills! What skills!"

Hyuuga Hizashi was the opposite of what I had imagined him to be. He was boisterous, a trait similar to Gai Sensei without all the bright skin tight clothing and extravagant poses. Yet he had a calmness about him; a hereditary Hyuuga trait.

"Let's play a game of shogi," he said, suddenly. He put his arm around my shoulders and lead me out of the courtyard to the patio, east side to my room. There was a low table and two cushions. On top of the table was a shogi board and the black and white pieces.

"Father..." Neji called out, his face a little sour.

"Didn't you promise to help Hanabi with her target practice. She has a competition in 2 months?" Hizashi stated. Neji looked at him and myself unsure. "I won't say anything embarassing. What do you take your old man for?"

He sighed and turned towards an ecstatic Hanabi.

* * *

Twenty moves in and I was close to winning. I could sense victory

"You're good," Hizashi admitted.

"I used to play a long time ago."

"Whoever you played against, must be very skilled," he asked.

"No... He is just a very troublesome person."

He laughed. "I played with a troublesome man once. He has a son who says that word frequently." I smiled, knowing very well who he was referring to. "Shogi is excellent for the mind. I often play shogi with my clients or partners. It so often shows how a person thinks," he said, placing a white piece on the board. "I try to have my nieces play with me. But only my son does. I suspect he just does it to appease me."

"What does it say about me?" I asked him, curious.

"That you are a very cautious and protective person," he said. I took a glance at my board and notice most of my pieces are protecting the king.

I gave a small smile. "I suppose so." I heard Neji's voice in the distance and Hanabi laughing. He was scolding her for distracting him. They were having a competition. It was a tie judging from the arrows embedded in the target.

"What are you thinking of?" Hizashi asked. He followed my line of sight to Neji.

I felt my face flush slightly. "I was wondering how the Hyuuga clan works." I placed another piece on the board. "Do all the Hyuuga's stay here?"

Hizashi looked at me with interest. "We are a tight knit family. We chose to stay together. But there are members of the family who chose to stay outside."

"Are you..." I did not know how to word it. "Are you segregated?"

"In what way?"

"Is there differentiation between the Hyuugas," I asked carefully. "Between a main and branch member."

"Hmmm... I would not consider us segregated. When my father had twins, myself and my brother, he had split the Hyuuga business into two parts the main and the branch. Each of us were to oversee a section of it. But it is equal."

"So, there are no restrictions."

"We are as free as birds..." He said, answering my question. I nodded that explained the absence of the cursed symbol on their foreheads.

"I'm glad," I told him.

"Tell me about yourself?" He made an unexpected move and my lancer was defeated. "Where are you from?" I hesitated. At this point I knew I should lie. "My apologies, Hinata mentioned that you have a concussion. She said you might experience some memory loss."

I felt a slight sense of relief. "I remember some things. My name for example. A few people from my past."

"Do you have any family that we can contact?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I never knew my parents," I said.

The light air around our conversation shifted. My words had put a dampen on the mood.

"I lost my brother and wife a few years ago. It was a trying time. Neji, took it upon himself to carry the weight of the Hyuuga family on his shoulders."

"I'm sorry for your losses, Hizashi-sama," I said, the game now no longer on my mind. "From what I have seen, they are beginning to heal."

He gave a smile, nodding. "We all are," he uttered. I knew I was. Whatever wall I had put up was slowly crumbling. I felt guilty. Part of me, told me that I should not heal. But slowly I was. Little by little. Not just physically but emotionally as well. "It's been hard on you too. I'm sure."

"I embraced that part about me a long time ago," I said, referring to my earlier reveal on being an orphan. "I realised that I was given something not many people have a chance of."

"What is that?" he asked.

I moved a black piece and swallowed his knight. "I get to choose my family."

* * *

Later in the afternoon, I decided to explore the Hyuuga manor. Even the Hyuuga manor in this world was large. The Hyuuga manor was built in the middle of a 6 acre land. It was constructed out of marble and the strongest wood. The house plan was in a square shape with 4 wings - North, South, East and West. Although traditional, it had modern facilities. In the centre, was an acre sized open courtyard cum garden with its own swimming pool, koi pond, sakura trees, archery area and clothes drying area.

After the attack on the Hyuuga manor, the Hyuugas and employees were forbidden to go to the outer 4 acre land where the greenhouse, tennis court and family shrine was located.

With the similar decor and no signage, I already had taken two wrong turns on my way back from the kitchen when I heard voices. Two very distinct voices belonging to Hyuuga Neji and Uzumaki Naruto. I stopped in my steps and scanned the room. It seems I was in the family room.

Both Neji and Naruto did not notice my presence in the room.

"Let me see her," the man that I knew as the seventh pleaded. He looked worn out. Even the wild flowers he held seemed withered.

"She does not want to see you," the paled eyed man stated.

Desperation. I could sense desperation. I've never seen Naruto look so defeated. "Let me talk to her," Naruto asked. "If she doesn't want to see me again, then so be it."

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I was given very specific orders." Neji patted his back. "She's adamant."

"She won't answer my calls," Naruto stated, his head hung dejectedly. His hand swung to his sides, and the flowers in his grasp fell to the flower. The stems broken, leaves and petals scattered on the carpeted floor.

"Go home, Naruto," Neji said, turning away and walked to the door where I stood. Neji paused at the doorway as he finally noticed my presence. His eyes were blank. I suppose this scene had happened many a times before. He, then, turned into a corner, his footsteps gradually becoming softer.

I turned again towards Naruto. I walked closer and started picking up the flowers from the ground. "It's such a waste," I told him.

"Those are her favourite flowers," he said, eyes closed tightly, painfully.

"You're not going to give up are you?" I asked him. Where did that undying spirit go?

"It's been 5 years. No calls.. no letters... she doesn't want to see me," he said. He collapsed to the chair, his face in his hands.

I noticed a folded picture on the ground. I picked it up. On the picture was Naruto and Hinata. Naruto had his arm around Hinata who was blushing. I unfolded the back portion of the picture which revealed to be Neji, Sasuke and Sakura. Neji looked pissed. He had his signature glare on Naruto. Sasuke looked content. Sakura was grinning with a hand on a swollen tummy.

"I carry that picture with me everywhere," Naruto said quietly. He took the picture from my grasp. "I'd kill to go back to that time again. Now, all I have are memories. There's nobody now." He stood up and raked a hand through his dishevelled blond locks. "Do you think you can give this to her?" He placed the picture in my palm.

"Are you going to give up?" I asked him.

"I'm beginning to think that the best thing for her is for me to stay away," he said, convincing himself.

"Stay. At least for a while," I urged him. "I will try to talk to her."

I saw his eyes lit up. Yes... That's the Naruto I know.

I made it halfway across the room when he called me. "Tenten," he said. I paused in my steps. "You are Tenten right?"

I nodded.

"I heard you saved her," his voice cracked. "Thank you... Thank you."

* * *

It did not take me long to find Hinata's room. This time I had asked a passing Hyuuga who was carrying a load of laundry. Hinata's room was in the east wing.

After finding her room (it was easy to identify as I smelt a wift of herbal ointments and fresh cut flowers), I knocked on the door and entered.

"Hinata," I called out. Hinata seemed to be reading a book. But I can tell her mind was distracted.

She looked up from her novel. "T-Tenten-san," she asked, surprised.

"I met Naruto on the way here," I said, watching her expression.

Her face lit up and then fell. "A-ah." She returned to the book she was holding. "Please ask him to leave."

"Don't lie to yourself, Hinata," I said. It seems that I give advice to people that I should take for myself. "He at least deserves an explanation."

"I've told him years ago in every means necessary," she said. "He just keeps on coming."

I sat on her bed. "Have you even heard to what he has to say."

She shook her head. "Nothing he says will change my mind."

"You still care for him," I said.

"I don't," she pressed.

"Don't tell me that. You're by the window where you have a clear view of the main gate. You can see him coming in." I could see her thin body tense. "You're reading your book upside down." She glanced quickly at her book and yelped. "And the book that you are holding is romance related."

"It is not," she stated.

"The title of the book is 'love not lost'," I told her. "Which means you still believe in love."

She was quiet. Her lips tightly shut.

"One day, he will stop coming," I said. "Are you ready for that day?" No answer. I sighed and placed the picture on her lap. "You should listen to what he says. You owe him that much."

I watched as Hinata look down towards the picture on her lap, her fingers stroking Naruto's face.

"I will ask him to wait for half an hour. If you decide, to see him. He should be in the family room."I informed her.

"I'm not going to see him," she insisted. Her voice raised.

"He will still come," I told her. "Next week and the week after until you listen to what he says. I'll make sure of it."

She crumpled the picture in her palm. "What type of future do you think a woman in a wheelchair can give him?"

"Is that what you say to yourself everyday?" I asked her, my heart heavy.

She declined her head, ashamed. "I'd just hinder him. He's running for mayor you know."

"Hinata. In what way would you hinder him," I called out, waiting for her to meet my gaze. Again, no answer. "...You'd give him happiness." I made my way back to the door. "Why do you think your father asked you to run?" I turned to her, my hand placed on the sliding door.

"For me to get help. Because I can't fight them. I'm too weak." Her voice was shaky.

"No, Hinata. Because you're his daughter. Because he wanted you to live." I slid open the door. "Ask yourself this... are you living?"

I left her with her thoughts and the crumpled picture and disappeared into the hallway.

* * *

After my talk with Hinata, I had told Naruto to wait for half an hour. If she did not meet him, then it was for his decision to give up or keep on trying.

Now, Im leaning against the tree trunk, perched on a large branch. I had a good view of the family room and the east wing. 40 minutes had since passed and I watched as Naruto gathered the withered flowers (stalk and all) and threw it into a dustbin. He was making his way out to the main door, when I saw Hinata burst through her bedroom door, the sense of urgency she had on her face was apparent.

I could see Naruto take his leave to the outer compound when I snapped a small branch and threw it directly to the dustbin, making the contents spill out again. Naruto stopped in his tracks, as I hoped and stepped into the room again. Kneeling to place the flowers back into the dustbin.

"Naruto-kun." I heard Hinata shout. I chuckled. I think the entire east and south wing heard her.

The blond haired man glanced up surprised when Hinata rolled herself into the room. I could make out some words 'I'm sorry', 'would you forgive me' and 'are those for me'. I stopped reading their lips after that. It seemed to be intimate and something the two of them have to discuss.

After an hour, Naruto was seen pushing Hinata's wheelchair into the garden. He stopped by the bonsai tree and made his way in front of Hinata. He was down on one knee now.

I scooted over further down the branch to have a better view of the couple. When I heard footsteps beneath me. Long straight glossy hair tied in a low pony tail and pale skin. Even from above I can still recognise that it was Neji.

He seemed to be looking straight ahead to the newly made up couple. Instinct and previous experience told me that he would ruin the happy moment. I would not want that to happen.

I snapped off another small branch, bare with no leaves, and threw it at Neji's head. Bullseye. He turned to see no one behind him and finally saw me, perched on a sturdy branch. I placed a finger to my lips.

"Let them be," I said, careful not to raise my voice. I watched the couple in front of me. Hinata's pink cheeks. Naruto's desperate but embarassed face. They were in the middle of the Hyuuga compound, beside the koi pond.

I felt the tree slightly sway and turned to my side to see Neji settle beside me.

"He proposed," I stated, a hint of satisfaction in my voice. I smiled. I saw a glint of gold in the morning sun.

"He carried that ring everyday for 5 years. He was going to propose the day she was taken," he said, a slight smile tugging on his lips. "What you said to her in that room..." Hinata covered her mouth and nodded. "... thank you."

I raised an eyebrow. Was he following me? To think I did not sense him... I guess I have yet to fully heal. "Who knew you had such manners." I chuckled.

"..."

"I have a feeling that you don't say the word thank you often." Naruto proceeded to pick up Hinata, laughing and spinning them around.

"You seem to know a lot about me," he asked.

I felt my smile dissipate. "I don't. Don't get me wrong. You...remind me of a friend."

He seemed satisfied with my answer. "I would've killed Naruto for coming that close to my cousin." Naruto stopped spinning Hinata around and enveloped her a warm embrace and, then, secured her lips with a kiss.

I felt another smile tug at my lips. "You're too overprotective... I'm sure he was persistent."

"Hinata-sama was too," he confirmed. A sakura petal broke from its bloom and was gently carried away by the wind. "They went behind my back many years ago." He catched the petal and held it in his open palm. "But I decided to let them be." I turned to him and gave him a smile. "It seems that you don't smile that often."

'No,' I thought to myself. 'Not since you died.'

"They make you smile," he said, in that deep baritone voice.

I opened my mouth to say something and closed it again. I was transfixed by his gaze. It took a lot to break away from those eyes that haunted me every night. "Some things are meant to be," I stated, my eyes on the happy couple again. They were sitting on a wooden bench now. Hinata leaning against a very beaming Naruto. "What do you think of when you see the colour blue?" I asked him, he looked at me with interest. He seemed more open with me now.

"The sky," he said, pointing upwards.

"Yeah," I agreed.

"Who is he?" he asked.

"What?" I asked him surprised. Another petal drifted away from its bloom.

"Whenever you look at me," he started. "I see the pain."

"My friends... no, family," I verbalised, ignoring his words. " I met them on a day like this. We called ourselves Team Gai. A flamboyant father figure, the boy eager to prove the world wrong, a genius who believed he was trapped in a cage... and myself, a girl who finally found her family." I could feel his gaze on me. He was quiet but he was listening. "They were a handful. One day, I decided that I would be the glue to hold them together." I swept my bangs to the side. "But it seems that they were the ones keeping me whole. After an incident, there were no more good days... and the colour blue."

Under the painted, clear blue sky, which I see so clearly now, I could sense a shift in our relationship.

Friendship... We had just begun a friendship.

 ** **To be continued...****


	7. Chapter 7 - Indigo (Part 1)

**A/N:** Thank you for those who have read and / or reviewed. Do note, that the chapter on indigo will be split into 2 parts due to length.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto

 ** **7 Colours of the Rainbow****

 ** **Chapter 7: Indigo (Part 1)****

 ** **A week later...****

 _ _A group of elders sat on higher grounds built of old wood and carved stones. There were six of them, their wrinkled faces were somber, their voices low. The lit candles were placed around the hidden chamber, which was situated beneath the grounds of Konoha. Only a few shinobi, carefully monitored and quietly approached knew of this council.__

 _ _Even though the hokage and advisor knew of this council, they were in the dark as to who are the shinobi involved. The latest hokage was advised from the previous hokages not to intervene with the council's work. The less the hokage knew, the better.__

 _ _The handpicked shinobi, selected by their skills, their life stories and their beliefs were chosen to go on special missions. The missions required drastic measures. Missions that if were successful, would question the shinobi's own humanity.__

 _ _I stood in the middle of the room, droplets of water fell a few inches from my feet. The air was musky; the room narrow. Six pairs of eyes watched me with great interest.__

 _ _"We have closely monitored you, weapons mistress of Konoha," the chairman stated, he was the eldest of the bunch and his hair was almost translucent. "You have great abilities. But, the war had changed you. You are no longer who you used to be. You had left that child behind. And now you are the steel dragon of Konoha."__

 _ _Another elder, with his thin moon shaped glasses balanced on his nose, spoke. '"Although these are peaceful times, there are still evils left. You are somebody that we require. Your skills are near perfect and you have no strings. According to our sources, there is nothing that you have not done to keep Konoha safe."__

 _ _"What do you need of me?" I asked.__

 _ _"We need you to maintain peace so that there will be no more unnecessary deaths."__

 _ _"In other words, we want your life," an elder stated, he was heavy in appearance and his eyes were slits. "What you need to do will be difficult. To maintain happiness, someone has to suffer."__

 _ _"In other words, I will be the one who suffers," I asked.__

 _ _"Yes," he stated. "But you already are, aren't you? You already know what it feels like. How many deaths have you seen? How much tears had fallen?"__

 _ _I declined my head to the floor, eyes shut tightly.__

 _ _"What we ask of you is difficult? You may no longer sleep at night. The weight of the world will be on your shoulders. Do you accept, Tenten?"__

 _ _"... I accept," I stated, hollow eyes of Neji haunted my dreams every night. If I could prevent others from feeling the same way, I would do it.__

 _ _The sole female of the elders spoke. Her voice calm and assertive. She opened a thin file. "The ANBU who had found you many many years ago when you were a baby, indicated that you were blue when he found you... almost indigo." She closed the file. "Although you are known as the steel dragon among your peers. Here you shall be known as indigo." She threw a bone mask, painted indigo, towards me. I caught it with my right hand with ease. That was the last time I ever saw the colour indigo.__

 _ _I was placed on many secret missions later on throughout the years. I had burnt houses, killed families in their sleep, made a bridge of corpses and so much more. No one knew of the reasons of their deaths. Most of my targets were accomplished men who had dark dark secrets. Rightfully so, indigo was placed among the top ten of criminal nins to be captured; dead or alive.__

 _ _I had lost my humanity when I had to massacre an entire village. However, unlike Itachi, I had not left any survivors. I could still remember the screams, the pleading eyes, their last words, their faces... the children...__

 _ _In the village of rice, I had walked in a tavern where I had rented a room to sleep. There were rumours that the village was the main hub for child predators. Many children and babies were kidnapped and taken to this village, where they were prepped, sold and raped.__

 _ _I had watched a closed off auction behind closed doors and realised that the children were taken away to individual rooms where the predators awaited them. I had decided enough was enough and had taken every life even those who had turned a blind eye to what was going on. Some of the evil I witnessed mid-act. The children... they were no longer children.__

 _ _My last kill that night was a toddler. I had wanted to take her away with me. I had convinced myself that she would be too young to remember when I saw blood through the white cloth wrapped around her torso. I unwrapped it to see blood from her privates. My last thoughts before I had plunged my kunai into her heart was what type of life would she have lead if she was alive.__

 _ _She gave a tired cry before breathing her last breath. And I had wished that the fire that I had set ablaze in the village, would lap away at me... to cleanse me of all my sins and take me away.__

I woke up from my dream, drenched in perspire. My eyes were wide open. It has been a long time since I had a nightmare. Usually, I do not sleep as much but recently, I have found that I could sleep better. Mostly, four hours a night.

I would train hard to forget. For the times where I had no secret missions, I would take it upon myself to take a B ranked mission or occassional C ranked mission. The weapons shop had also kept me busy.

The harsh reality of my life is that I remembered everything. The last words uttered by my victims, the empty threats, every curse spat at me, every pain inflicted on my body, their dead faces and every decision I made. Indigo is not a colour, it is not a name, it is my ugliest face.

I stood up from the bed, and adjusted my yukata. Breathing heavily, I wiped the perspire from my forehead with my sleeve. Nightmares like this took a toll on me. I would wake up drained and always less of a human than the day before.

I quietly slid open my bedroom door and stepped out into the cool night air. I needed a walk to calm my demons. I walked aimlessly till I reached the koi pond. In the moonlight, I saw my reflection. It has been a long time since I actually saw myself. I was a lot thinner now. My cheeks are sunken and eyes hollow. My long hair, free from their constraints, reached mid back. I looked like a ghost.

Abruptly, I turned away, and sat beneath the oak tree. I was alone to my thoughts and the demons that followed me.

An hour later, Neji found me huddled against the tree, my head against my knees.

"Tenten," he asked, carefully. I looked up surprised and flinched when I felt his warm fingers brushing away my fringe from my eyes. "What are you doing out here?"

"I couldn't sleep," I said.

He sat down on the grass beside me. His shoulder brushing against mine. "Me too," he said, in that deep voice of his. "Did you have a nightmare?"

I shook my head. "No." A lie.

"I have them but they are fewer now," he verbalised. "It's always the same. I am always a few steps away from saving my mother."

"Your father worries," I said, quietly.

"I wasn't there that day. I was away meeting a client." He closed his eyes and the sight took me back many years ago to a younger Neji meditating under a similar tree. "No one would tell me what happened. How it happened."

"He's glad that you weren't there," I told him. It has been a week since I had stayed with the Hyuuga's. I would have the occasional shogu match with Hizashi-sama. Here and there, he would talk about his wife and his family. "I'm glad that you weren't there."

He opened his eyes, turning to face me, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips. It quickly turned into a frown. "You look afraid," he stated.

"I'm not."

"Your hands are trembling."

I looked down towards my trembling hands and gripped the cloth of my yukata tightly, willing it to stop. "I'm just... I'm cold."

He gave me a small smile and placed his warm hand on top of mine. "We all have nightmares."

"Not like mine," I said quietly.

He was quiet for a while, thinking, before he spoke. "What are you afraid of?" he asked, his white eyes gleaming in the dark.

"I'm afraid of myself... I'm afraid for myself."

He squeezed my hand. "I'm not going to ask you about your nightmares. But whatever you had done, I'm sure you had your reasons."

"I don't think you'd like me very much if you knew what I had done," I whispered.

"I think it is a little too late for that," he said, he looked upwards towards the sky. The moon and his eyes the same shade of white.

My heart skipped a beat but my conscience whispered that I had missed my chance once upon a time.

* * *

Sasuke had found the latch of Tenten's apartment broken. Thinking of the worst, he went into the house to find that the living room was untouched. Nothing seemed to be out of place.

After inspecting the kitchen, he heard a slight sound coming from one of the rooms on the far end. He walked in to the first room to find Lee, hunched, sitting on the bed, his eyes painfully shut and a picture clasped against his heart.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked the taijutsu specialist. Lee looked fragile. A single touch and he would break.

Lee looked down at the picture of Team Gai in his grasp and placed it back on the cabinet. "Same as you," he said. "I'm trying to find anything of hers that we can use to open the portal."

Sasuke was not good at reassuring people. He hugs occassionally to show affection but that was only limited to his wife and daughter. "Did you find anything?"

Lee shook his head. "Ever since Neji died, Team Gai was no longer the same. Our relationship changed. We seldom trained together. We hardly ever ate together," he said, his voice hoarse. "But that's ok. I never wanted all that. All I ever wanted was for us to talk like how we used to." His eyes were red. "I miss Tenten. I miss Gai Sensei. I miss what we had."

"It's not too late," Sasuke reassured. "Everything can be as it was before."

"The truth is. It shouldn't be the same anymore," Lee said, his eyes still on the picture in front of him. "Everything had changed. But we should have faced it together...and not apart."

"Everyone handles grief their own way."

Lee turned his head towards the Uchiha heir and gave a wide smile, uncharacteristic for the topic that was shared between them. Sasuke noted that the 'ping' was not there and, therefore, it was not a truly smile.

Lee changed the subject. "The jutsu doesn't work. We tried everything from her hair to her clothes."

Sasuke stared at Lee, deliberating whether he should pursue the previous subject or drop it. Sasuke released a short breath. At this point, they should focus on getting to Tenten and taking down Katashi. "It just means that we need something more substantial," Sasuke reasoned. "A tooth, some old bandages with her dried blood... It took Neji's eyes to open that portal." Sasuke's tongue slipped and he saw Lee freeze.

"It might work," Lee said, slowly. Sasuke was grateful that Lee did not take his last comment to heart. "Maybe she has some used sanitary pads in the bin." Lee looked hopeful.

Sasuke cringed inwardly at Lee's words. "Hnnn..."

They went searching, Lee to the bathroom while Sasuke searched her bedroom. Looking through her wardrobe and closet, Sasuke found nothing useful. But he did find that her room was ladled with hidden traps and weapons. He was almost pierced by senbons which were launched when he accidently stepped on a wooden tile.

He sighed and walked over to the bed, when he felt a slight indentation of the wooden tile just beneath the edge of the bed. He bent over and carefully lifted the wooden tile with a senbon. It was an indigo mask. He was sure that he was the only one who knew of Indigo's identity. He had come across Indigo during one of his excursions to see the world.

 _ _Sasuke had set up camp on the outskirts of the land of grain and had just fallen asleep when he had heard screams. They were so soft that he had thought that it was his consciousness screaming for help. Since young, Sasuke had learnt that the screams that he had heard everyday were not from his recurring nightmares or the ghosts from his past but from himself.__

 _ _Sasuke woke up with a jolt and soon realised that it was not his own internal screaming. From afar, he saw fire and realised that a village was set ablaze.__

 _ _Without thinking, he grabbed his sword of kusanagi and ran in the direction of the village. When he reached the village, he saw that the buildings were almost burnt to the ground. The fire was far too advanced for him to dissipate it.__

 _ _At the edge of the village, a lone figure, with an indigo mask stood watching, a teddy bear in hand. The figure stood close to the fire. The heat lapping at him but he was far enough from the fire to not let himself get engulfed by the flames.__

 _ _To Sasuke, the person looked familiar. He had fought beside this person before. He was sure that the figure was a Konoha shinobi or more accurately a Kunoichi.__

 _ _He appeared beside her moments later. She did not seem to flinch, her eyes still on the fire in front of her.__

 _ _"To think that Indigo is you... Tenten," Sasuke said, the sword of kusanagi still in his grasp. "You were the last person on my mind."__

 _ _She turned her head towards him. He saw her eyes through the two gaping holes on her mask. "Sa-suke," she stated, slowly. Her eyes were empty, a dull brown.__

 _ _"You're a wanted person," he said.__

 _ _"I know," She said, looking down at the teddy bear. She threw it into the fire. "Are you going to turn me in?"__

 _ _"I have yet to decide," he stated. He looked at her, her attention was towards the fire again. "What did they do?"__

 _ _"..." She never gave an answer.__

 _ _"Did they resist?" he asked.__

 _ _"They did not have the chance to," she said, her voice low. "Not even the children."__

 _ _Her voice was muffled and Sasuke noticed that the edges of the mask beneath her chin were wet.__

 _ _"Are you under instructions?" Again no answer. "Tenten, I do not want to unneccessarily harm you."__

 _ _"The decision was mine. They deserved to die. What they did to those children, were unforgivable." The ground beneath her was damp. How long had she been crying? "How can the children live with what was inflicted on them?" She cried out.__

 _ _"It should have been reported to the hokage," Sasuke weakly argued.__

 _ _"There is no substantial evidence. They are to everyone, good men." She took off her indigo mask to reveal a damp face and silent tears.__

 _ _Quietness ensued. Sasuke came to an understanding that he would never understand her actions but he knew her intention was good. "I'm sorry it had to be you," Sasuke said. "It took me a long time to understand my brother's intentions."__

 _ _"It takes a monster to kill monsters," she said, grasping her mask tightly in her hand. Her face hardened but the tears still fell. "Your brother was no monster. He still loved. You and Konoha were the only thing that he could never let go."__

 _ _Itachi was a conflicted man but a good man. "You're not a monster," he said, truly believing that. He would have never thought he would meet another person so similar to his Aniki. "You can stop."__

 _ _"I am far too gone," she said. "It is best that it is me who does this."__

 _ _They stood, watching the fire lap away at the last building. There were no more screams now.__

 _ _"No one knows who you are. You can leave this all behind," Sasuke stated.__

 _ _"There is nothing left for me to go back to," She said.__

 _ _"What about Team Gai?"__

 _ _"It is to protect everyone that I am doing this," she stated, her voice as hardened as her face. But still her tears fell. "It is also to protect everyone that I can not go back to them."__

 _ _Ambers of the fire twirled in the air, lifting higher, higher to the dark sky until no more.__

 _ _"Sorry, Sasuke. But this is it," she said. For a brief second, he was taken back to his final meeting with Itachi where his brother had said the exact same words as Tenten. "This is what I am now."__

 _ _"Did you kill everyone?" Sasuke asked.__

 _ _"Yes," she answered. "There are no survivors."__

 _ _They shared a glance, and an understanding passed between them. Any child who had survived this painful ordeal, will never come out the same. They would have led a painful life.__

 _ _Sasuke placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you," he said, his voice heavy.__

 _ _He, then, disappeared into the night.__

 _ _In the morning, the village of rice was no more.__

 _ _In the morning, Indigo was placed number one in the bingo books.__

Sasuke clutched the mask in his hand. How badly he wanted to break it in half, to burn it.

"I always suspected that Tenten was Indigo," he heard a voice say. "The skillset that Indigo had was very similar to hers."

Sasuke glanced up to see a shellshocked Lee. His face was so very pale and dry lips parted. Sasuke cursed to himself, he should have known better and kept the mask back into the hidden panel. But he let himself be immersed in old memories that should have been left buried in his mind.

Lee placed a hand on the door, supporting his weight and slid on to the floor. "Now, I know why she wouldn't let herself get too close." He covered face with his hands. "I don't know her anymore?"

"She is still the same person," Sasuke reassured him. "She just chose a different path."

"The stories that I have heard of indigo," Lee stated. "The names they call her. The bounties placed on her head." Lee's face was of anguish. "Even Konoha is after her."

"She knew the risks," Sasuke shared. "It was her decision."

"Why would she do this?"

"Her reasons are not important. You have to trust her." Sasuke placed the mask on Lee's lap. "What do you want to do now, Lee?"

"I want to protect her," he stated, his face with a hint of desperation.

"Then, that's what we will do."

"Did you find anything useful for the portal?" Lee asked.

"No," Sasuke replied, he had checked and the kunoichi's apartment was clean. Even, her weapons were bleached down.

"Me neither... at this rate..." Lee grasped the mask tightly, fighting against his thoughts. "Do you think using familial blood would work?" he said, finally.

"It might," Sasuke stated. "But Tenten has no family."

"That is not entirely true. If I draw some of Metal's blood, it may open up the portal."

"Your son?" Sasuke questioned.

"Yes," Lee said, nodding. "Tenten is the mother of my child."

* * *

 **To Be Continued...**


	8. Chapter 8 - Indigo (Part 2)

**A/N:** Thank you for reading and / or reviewing.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto

 **7 Colours of The Rainbow**

 **Chapter 8: Indigo (Part 2)**

I woke up the next morning, wanting to sleep in some more. Despite the cool weather, the sun was strangely brighter and my body snug and warm.

I opened my eyes, blinking once, twice before realising that the room was not my own. The walls in this room were a plain beige. My room was a pale blue. I was sleeping on my side and tried to sit up but felt strangely heavy. I peeked downwards to see arms, protectively wrapped around my waist. They were masculine, strong and fair. I turned my head slightly, and could feel the familiar rhythmic breathing of Neji on my cheek. We were too close. When did he get so close to me?

On previous missions, it would be normal for Neji and I to share a room or sleep beside each other at the campsite but we were always in separate beds. Lee tended to jerk violently in his sleep while Gai Sensei sleep talked and grinded his teeth.

We were adults now and his intimate actions threatened my heart to jump out of my chest. If Neji was still alive, I had often wondered what would be of us.

I fisted the white bedsheet, getting rid of the thoughts. I had grieved long after he died and dedicated the rest of my life to try to forget him.

This Neji was getting far too close to me. Because I let him... Because I want him too. But I do not belong in this world and the faster I find Katashi, the sooner I get to face my own reality back home.

But today I might just allow myself a touch.

* * *

Neji woke up to the smell of the forest and sunflowers.

What happened last night?

Ah yes. After Tenten had fallen asleep, her head on his shoulders, he had picked her up and took her to his own room. His rationale was that his room was nearer and he was too tired to make two trips.

He felt slender fingers intertwine in his own and the tips of his ears heat up.

'So she's awake,' he thought to himself. He pretended to stir in his sleep and pulled her closer to his body, feeling her soft hair on his cheeks. He could feel her yelp softly, but she did nothing to change her position. He supposed, he could allow himself to sleep just an extra hour.

That was wishful thinking on his part. His cousin, Hanabi, had a habit of barging into his room every Saturday morning. Today, was no different.

"Neji-nii san." He heard his cousin say. He scowled slightly, his eyes still shut. What bad timing.

He could feel Tenten freeze beside him.

"Ehhhhh." He could imagine the stupid smile on his cousin's face.

"Hanabi," he heard Tenten say. "It's not what you think."

"Oh-hohohoho-ho," Hanabi said gleefully. "Tenten-nee chan..." Yes. Hanabi definitely had that stupid grin on her face. "Pardon, my intrusion." He could hear his cousin's heavy but quick footsteps down the hallway. She was running and laughing at the same time.

"Ha-Hanabi." He heard Tenten call after him. She had pushed away his arm and a few seconds later he felt her warmth leave the bed. He supposed it would be a good time to awaken.

"What happened?" he muttered, hoping he sounded groggy. He sat up in his bed, the sheets pooling around his bare torso. He saw Tenten at his doorway, her face turned towards him and her eyes slowly trailing over his torso. She looked embarrassed, her face getting redder every second.

"G-good Morning," she said, bowing and ran down the corner, shutting the door behind her.

He smirked. "Cute," he said. So, she can make that expression too.

Over breakfast, Hanabi had announced that the two of them were a couple as she found them in a rather suggestive position in bed. Before Tenten and Neji could correct her, his father looked pleased and bellowed that Neji was indeed a man and that as a father he had expected nothing less from his own son. His father also added that weren't he not still in love with his wife and be decades younger, he too would go after a woman as enticing as Tenten.

Neji gave a low groan and drank about 3 glasses of water. On the other hand, Tenten found sudden interest in the breakfast spread in front of her. To make matters worse, his father had invited Tenten to the Akatsuki headquarters with him, on grounds that he would like to have closer ties with his future daughter-in-law.

Tenten had agreed much to Neji's surprise. He supposes that she wants to escape from the knowing looks and chatter of his Hyuuga relatives. Neji was just glad that she did not reject the notion of them being together.

* * *

Sasuke met Lee at the edge of the Konoha forest.

It was their agreed meeting point each time they would try to open the portal and use the 13th sign. In this particular area, Lee had told Sasuke that this place was Team Gai's old training spot. The training spot was so well hidden, that Sasuke had never chanced upon it.

"Are you ready?" Sasuke asked Lee.

"Yes," the green beast of Konoha stated, pouring the last drop of Metal's blood into a bowl and placing it on top of a tree stump. After last night, Sasuke had called his wife for a favour. Ten minutes later the married couple were at Lee's house. Lee had explained to his son that this was a D ranked mission by the Hokage. The blood bank was low on supply and required to be replenished. Metal, having the same zest as his father in his youth, agreed.

Lee took a few steps back and settled beside Sasuke.

"Let's wish for the best," Sasuke stated. The Uchiha man performed the handsigns as indicated in the book. He was lucky that he had memorised the signs long before Lee had eaten the pages.

Dragon. Snake. Dog. Mouse. Dragon and, finally, the 13th sign Phoenix.

At first nothing happened and Lee felt dejected. The next moment, his son's blood seemed to be boiling when a small black sphere appeared. It was so small that only a finger could go through. And then in a split second it was gone.

"It's still not enough," Lee expressed, his brows creased.

"But it worked," Sasuke assured him. "We now know that the 13th hand sign is real and the jutsu works."

Lee went over to tree stump, the blood had turned black. "Could it be that we need more of Metal's blood," Lee stated. "I can't have my son do this again."

"I don't think it's necessary," Sasuke voiced out. "Even if we sacrifice Metal..." Lee's face turned ash. "It would not change the outcome."

"What do you mean?"

"I think in the parallel world, we have difference circumstances. Metal might not be born at all," Sasuke guessed. "It would be better if we were to wait for Katashi to appear."

"No," Lee declared loudly. "That's too long. I don't know if she's alive or dead." He took out a blade and placed it at the base of his little finger. "I should exist in the other world. If all it takes to open the portal is my finger, than take it."

Sasuke was distressed. "Lee, don't do be a fool."

But Lee had already pressed the knife against his finger and blood had already started seeping out.

"Lee, stop that." Gai Sensei appeared, wheel chair bound, and threw a rock at Lee's head. Lee looked stunned to find his father figure, face red in anger. "You won't get Tenten back like this."

Lee stilled. He finally came to his senses when Sasuke gently pried the knife away from his hand, his finger still intact. "I'm sorry, Gai Sensei."

"To think that I would have to hear this from the hokage himself... I expected you to tell me Lee," Gai pressed, his voice strained. "Why did you not tell me that Tenten is missing?"

Lee looked away from his old sensei. "I did not want you to worry."

This earned Lee another stone to the head. "You are my children. I will always worry." Gai rolled up to them. "Now tell me how do we get her back?" Gai asked.

Lee and Sasuke turned to face each other, a meaningful glance passed between them.

"There is a way to track her down but for this we require a part of her. Something that used to be a part of her blood," Sasuke explained carefully, omitting out the 13th sign and the jutsu.

"We tried everything. Her hair, her clothes, her weapon... blood," Lee said.

"How did you acquire Tenten's blood?" Gai asked.

"It's Metal's," Sasuke slipped out.

Gai nodded. "I knew that Metal was both yours and Tenten's, Lee." Sasuke eyes flashed in alarm. He did not know that this was kept a secret from their own sensei.

"It's ok, Sasuke," Lee assured the Mangekyo Sharingan user. "I'm sorry for keeping this from you, Gai Sensei."

"When you bought home the child, I believed you when you said that it was from one of your failed relationships from another village. I was proud that you wanted to be responsible for your actions." Gai gave a small smile. "A few days later, a parcel came from Tenten and in it was an umbilical cord. I put two and two together." He leaned back against his wheelchair. "She wrote me a letter, indicating what it was for, who it was for. She said you were the father and that she had no one else to turn to. For the sake of her child, she could never be a mother but the umbilical cord could help if in Metal's infancy, he was ever sick." His gaze was forlorn.

"Do you still have it Gai Sensei?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes," Gai stated, earning a hopeful glance from Lee. "It's in my freezer at home."

* * *

 _ **Later that morning...**_

"What are you doing in my office?" I heard a questioning voice say. I turned around to see Itachi standing in the middle of the room, a cup of steaming coffee in hand.

"Hizashi-sama wanted to run through the security measures for tonights engagement party with your chief," I explained. "I followed."

Right now anywhere was better than at the Hyuuga manor. When breakfast ended, I was quickly approached and cornered by ten Hyuuga teenagers, all eager for the 'scoop' of how it all happened. If it were not for Neji's glare of death which caused them to slink away, I would have had to participate in female gossip with me as the main topic.

I knew Neji wanted to talk to me but I was so embarassed that I could not look him in the eye. I knew that last night was harmless, my underwear was still on me so nothing potentially adult could have happened. But it's the thought of the possibility that it could have happened and that it was a shame that it did not, which made me want to dig a hole and bury myself in it.

Thankfully, Hizashi-sama came to inform me that he was leaving and I should follow. Of course in the car, I got an earful about how he had always wondered whether his son viewed the world in a lopsided way and that today he was elated to be proven wrong. Hizashi-sama also assured me that if I were to be impregnated due to our late night activity, Neji would be responsible because he was an adult and a Hyuuga.

I mentally groaned and broke out of my reverie. Itachi was giving me a one-over, his red eyes running through my body.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked, pulling myself together.

He took a sip of his steaming coffee and placed it on his desk. "You seem healed."

I cocked my head to the side, a hint of a smile playing on my lips. "Am I now?"

He fell silent. He took a seat on top of his desk and accidently knocked a file from his desk. It fell on the floor, the pictures tucked within spilled out.

I bent down towards the carpeted floor, gathering the pictures and picking up the file. A loose picture of Sasuke came into view. He was a lot different then the Sasuke I knew back home. His eyes were warm, cheeks a healthy glow and his face had a hint of a smile.

"I heard about Sasuke from Hinata," I said, my hands shifting through the other pages. The file contained information about the murders in Konoha spanning the last ten years. I recognised most of the faces from back home. The individuals belonged to specific clans from within and outside of Konoha. "I am sorry for your loss."

"I am sorry for yours too," he stated, his hand beckoning for the file.

It was strange but I felt like I could share my thoughts and feelings with Itachi. "I thought I had more time with him," I explained, quietly, referring to Neji. I returned the file to him and he placed it on his desk. "I should have never left his side that day."

"I should have been there on the day of the attack." He gave me a bitter smile. " Sakura was in labour and my otoutou was already at the hospital. He asked me to stop by his house and grab a few forgotten items but I had a little paperwork left to finish. He went home and..." His voice trailed off. "Sakura was worried. When I found him later that day, his arms and legs were broken and eyes were gorged out." He tugged at his tie, loosening it. "There was no more pulse." He clenched his jaw.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," I said, finally.

He grasped the edge of the table tightly. "I will never unsee it."

"You never will," I admitted, referring to Neji. "I'm not asking you to forget about Sasuke but don't remember him that way."

"It's hard not to," he stated, licking his lips. "His daughter reminds me of him. I see him in her."

"Sarada," I barely whispered but Itachi had overheard me.

"Yes, Sarada," he stated.

"Sasuke... had an affinity with that name. It's strange but oddly fitting," I stated.

"She'll turn five in a month."

I nodded and noticed the picture of Sarada, Sakura and himself on his desk. "She looks well."

"She thinks I am her father," he stated, his eyes somber.

"She needs a father," I pressed.

"She had one," he explained.

"Sasuke will always be her father. But you can be too. You are not taking anything away from him."

"My otoutou must have liked you."

I chuckled. "He understands me a lot more than I'd like to admit," I said. On the far end of the room was a wall filled with newspaper clippings of kidnappings and murders in Konoha. "Is that all Katashi's doing?" I pointed out.

He looked in the direction of the wall. "Yes." I heard the bitterness and the anger in his tone. "It's a daily reminder." He placed his right hand on the file with the pictures. Thoughts mulled around his head. "I saw the man who killed Sasuke in the garden. It was brief." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I could make out a tattoo on his neck. But I didn't chase him."

"You did the right thing. Your brother should be your priority."

"Sasuke was already gone." He let out a breath. "I did not think objectively."

"No one would when it comes to family." I tucked a tendril of loose hair behind my ear. Today, I had my hair tied up in a pony tail. "I know it is your duty as police to protect the citizens of Konoha but you should not let all these cases devour you." But I know it was a little too late.

His face remained impassive. "Everyday I wonder what I'd do if I find Katashi, if I'd find the man who killed my brother, if I'd find all of Katashi's men. Should I kill them all myself?"

"Those are dark thoughts," I stated.

He chuckled and took another sip of his coffee. "They are just thoughts."

I sensed his yearning and the vengeance. "It would change you if you do kill them."

"Would it? Any more than now?"

"Much more than now. It will consume you until in your heart that is all that you are," I replied. "Don't be that person. You have a family to think of now."

He was muted and we were in each others presence in silence. I knew what Itachi was like back in my world but would he do the unthinkable here as well. Those thoughts remained in my mind until my head ached.

From across the hallway, I saw the chief and Hizashi-sama shake hands.

"I'm taking my leave," I voiced out, hesitantlly and walked towards the exit. I paused at the doorway when the answer came into my mind. " Will you be attending Hinata's engagement party?"

"I have yet to decide," he stated. Truthfully, it pained him to see the people he knew move on and attain happiness. He would often wonder when he would get there and if he ever would.

"Please do," I urged. "Hinata mentioned that she has something urgent to tell you."

"Ask her to call me," Itachi replied, arms crossed.

I gave him a small smile. "I'm afraid she is rather preoccupied with the engagement arrangements. It is tonight after all." I turned to see Sarada's picture one last time. "Please come."

* * *

Back at the Hyuuga estate, I was about to search for Hinata when an elderly Hyuuga had stated that Hinata had requested to see me.

She was in the Hyuuga's large dining room where part of the engagement party's preparations were in order. The engagement party was held at the main hall in the Hyuuga estate where birthdays and social functions were usually held.

Hinata sat at the far end of the table, alone, doing flower arrangements. Most of the Hyuuga's were either in the main hall or kitchen, decorating, cleaning or preparing the food.

I sat down beside her and watched her make a beautiful table piece. She was humming a lullaby. She was noticeably happier these days. After Hizashi-sama was informed, he declared that the engagement party to be held a week later to the glee and equal horror of the Hyuugas. "I can help," I stated, reaching out to a spare pair of scissors. I proceeded to cut off the leaves of the stems, mirroring Hinata's actions.

"T-tenten-san," she said, surprised. "I didn't realise you were here."

I smirked. "Well that's because you were thinking of a special someone."

Her cheeks erupted into a fiery red. "I was not t-thinking of Naruto."

I tsk'ed. "I never mentioned that you were thinking of Naruto." She looked outwardly embarassed that I had to smile. I let her regain her composure before I said my next words. "What did you want to see me about?"

Her eyes lit up. "Ah..." She placed her scissors on the table and reached into a pocket at the side of her wheelchair. "This is the map surrounding Konoha that you wanted."

I took the map from her hands and spread it open on the table. "Where are we?" I asked.

She placed her fingers on a spot of land down south. "Right here." She then pointed to another location. "This is the lighthouse but it takes 4 hours by car." I looked at the intertwining road that snaked up the hill. There should be a short cut. Going to the lighthouse at the most obvious route will bound to alert whoever was in the lighthouse.

"What about over here?" I stated, pointing towards a landmark. All I had to do was cut through the hyuuga estate, past the greenhouse and go further up for another 3 kilometers.

She shook her head. "That's a cliff. It's physically impossible. It's about 100meters tall."

I pursed my lips. "I see." Physically, it would not be impossible for a shinobi. "Thank you, Hinata." I folded the map and tucked it into the sleeve of my yukata. "I might not make it for your engagement party tonight."

She looked at me surprised. "You're going tonight?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Can't this wait till tomorrow or another day?"

I shook my head. "I'm afraid by that time Itachi will have already known."

"W-what. Who t-tipped him off?"

"You," I replied.

She looked shocked, her mouth ajar. "I-I didn't tell anyone a-about this."

"I know."I snipped off a few leaves. "But you will tonight at the engagement party. I want you to tell him everything."

"E-everything."

"Yes," I confirmed, "All the things that you have told me."

"Must it be tonight. Can't this be done t-tomorrow or the day after," she urged.

"I waited too long. I had healed days ago but I was idle," I explained. In truth, the last few days made me have my sense of normalcy. I felt human. Also, recently, Katashi had been quiet. I was expecting him to infiltrate the Hyuuga compound again but he never showed. Time to time, Hinata had fed me updated news from the Akatsuki that there were no new sightings or incidences. This only meant that he is preparing for something bigger. "Tonight is the best time for me to leave the Hyuuga compound. Your security is almost impenetrable."

She stilled. "I am afraid for you," she mumbled. She had stopped working on the floral arrangements and focused on me entirely. "I don't want you to g-go anymore." It's fascinating what seven days can do to a bond between individuals.

I placed the scissors on the table, a faraway look in my eyes. "I'm sorry, Hinata," I replied. "But I am more afraid of what Itachi might do."

"Then, don't tell him," she pressed.

"I'm afraid we don't function that way."

"How would you k-know?" she said, her face crestfallen.

"Because Itachi and I are the same." My priority other than obtaining the bodies and organs of Konoha's fallen, is to prevent a massacre.

"There must be another way," she stated.

I gave her a forlorn glance. "Maybe. But all this has to end soon and, for now, this is the only way." I gave her a slight smile. "I should also prepare to go back home." But I did not know how to.

Her eyes grew as big as saucepans. "You can always stay here. I know that we'd like that," she pressed.

"There are reasons for me to stay," I agreed, thinking of Neji and what we could be. But all of this was wishful thinking. "This is not where I belong, Hinata."

* * *

An hour before sunset, I had left the Hyuuga residence and sprinted across the compound. I had strapped behind my back, two samurai swords and a long thin rope. Tucked into the pockets of my shinobi clothes were climbing gloves.

For those who had asked on my absence for tonights engagement party, I had asked Hinata to lie that I was away at the hospital to get my ribs checked out as I had slipped and fell in the bathroom.

I reached the base of the cliff at sunset, the seawater was slamming against the cliff wall. The fallen rocks beneath the vertical rock exposure were large and sharp. It would be a hard fall indeed. I wore the climbing gloves and looked upwards, planning my route to the top. A few minutes later, I began my climb.

I finally reached the top after climbing for an hour. I had slipped a few times as the climb was difficult. Had it not been for the strenuous training by Gai Sensei, I would not have been able to do it. I shook away the tiredness of my arms and wiped my perspire from my forehead with my sleeve.

I secured a nearby sturdy rock with a rope and threw the other end of the rope down the side of the cliff. This would help me make a quick escape but I still needed to climb halfway down.

It was a full moon tonight but the moon was hidden by the clouds.

I scrutinised the abandoned lighthouse in front of me. It was clear that it no longer provided navigational assistance to the boatman. The facade of the building looked far too old with moss covering most of the ten storey building. But I know that this is not true. I could see dark figures at the light room in the top most floor, moving and disappearing.

I approached the lighthouse silently. There was no shrubbery or trees nearby to conceal myself. Once my presence is known, I have to find Katashi quickly before he tries to escape.

I encountered a man, with a beard, while he was patrolling around the lighthouse grounds. Before he could alert the other men, I took him in a chokehold and held him tightly until I could feel him stop struggling. I released him and he slumped to the ground.

I, then, made my way to the front entrance of the lighthouse and entered. While the guests in the Hyuuga manor danced and drank red wine, I too danced a deadly dance of my own. The redness that spilt on the floor was not of wine but of fallen blood.

At first my dance was graceful and beautiful. My feet nimble and light. My blades, twirled in the air, deadly and precise. And then, I reached the second floor and I discovered a room with bones and decaying bodies stacked high till it reached the ceiling. I took in the sight of death, of gaunt faces, of rotten flesh and the lack of respect of burying the dead.

I snapped when I found a body reduced to bones and flesh, shackled to the window. If it were not for the necklace with the Hyuuga emblem around his trachea, I would not have recognised him. To think that the proud Hyuuga patriarch who had sacrificed himself for his daughter was kept in this room, to wait out his death was devastating.

The next person who came into the room, weapon in arm, took a blade in his stomach. His bowels spilled out. What came next from me was no more mercy, just a sure, slow death for the others. With each cry received, each drop of blood shed, each breath taken, my dance became more hungry, frantic and inhuman.

Surprisingly, there was little resistance. Katashi had recruited men from this world whose skills are far from honed. They mostly relied on these handheld weapons which shoot out metal bullets. But once I remove the weapons from their grasp, they were weak prey.

It was a good thing that the lighthouse was four hours away from the nearest civilization and that the moon although full was hidden by clouds. It would be a weird sighting indeed, with the flashes of light coming randomly from the many windows of the lighthouse.

I slowly climbed the stairs of the lighthouse, checking each floor, each room and each hallway. There nothing kind in how I killed each of Katashi's men. But still no signs of Katashi. The rooms where the captives were to be kept were empty as well. It was as if, Katashi had already gotten what he was looking for.

I had finally reached the topmost floor an hour later. My clothes and face were partially covered in blood. I was the devil.

"Katashi!" I screamed, eyes searching in the darkness but the room was void of any human presence. I had killed every one of Katashi's henchman. But Katashi was never even here in the first place.

Looking around the room, I realised that I was in the main room where all the organs were kept. They were kept in jars, of different shapes and sizes, filled with liquids to maintain the organs. I recognised most, the red hair and scalp of a member of the Uzumaki clan, the skin of a member of the Aburame clan, the heart of a member of the Fuura clan, the entire jaw (including teeth) of the Santo clan, to name a few. It was clear to me now what Katashi wanted. He wanted to learn the secrets of the clans powers and abilities.

I went through each and every rack, searching endlessly until I found the white eyes of a Hyuuga. I took the jar in my trembling hands, relief surged through my entire body when the clouds shifted and the moons light poured through the windows around the circular room.

To many the Hyuuga eyes are the same. But for a person who had trained and stood side-by-side with one, they would notice the difference. Neji's eyes were a shade of greyish pearl with flecks of yellow.

My knees gave way and I collapsed to the floor on all fours. The jar in my hand, rolled onto the floor, intact.

The eyes were of Hiashi-sama's.

It was not here. Neji's eyes were never here.

I whimpered, my heart tightfully clenched, before I, finally, let out an anguished cry. "Gaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh."

* * *

Itachi and Deidara arrived an hour before dawn. They were still in their formal wear.

After Hinata had pulled them aside towards the end of her engagement party and told them of her memory. Itachi, like a desperate animal ran out of the event. His partner followed suit out of concern.

Itachi drove fast and dangerously. He was quiet and Deidara knew not to talk to Itachi when his mood was this dark. Itachi was at the brink of insanity.

The blonde haired male did make a statement. "We need to call for back up."

"I have enough weapons in this car to annihilate Konoha," Itachi bitterly replied, and that was the end of the conversation.

When they were a kilometre away from the lighthouse, Itachi abrupty parked the car. Were it not for Deidara wearing a seatbelt, he was sure that he would be propelled, through the front windshield. Itachi had opened the car boot and yanked open at a secret compartment, revealing many military grade weapons. Deidara knew to wipe this sight from his mind.

Armed, they quickly made their way to the lighthouse when they came upon a body.

"What the hell happened here?" Deidara asked, his flashlight pointed in the direction of the body. The victim had his head twisted in a weird angle.

Itachi did not say anything and pushed open the main door.

"Shit..." Deidara cursed, under his breath. He shone his torchlight here and there around the room.

It was death. Limbs were all around the room, blood splattered like loud graffiti on the walls. Itachi noted that it would be difficult to identify the bodies.

They slowly made their way to the second floor. Deidara nodded towards the motionless body on the ground which had a finger pointing towards a door. The light from his torchlight landed on the 'X' painted in dried blood on the door.

"A trap?" Deidara wanted to confirm, but Itachi had already made his way inside.

Itachi stood still, his breath taken away. He was sure that all the missing people in Konoha could be found in this room. The smell of flesh and bones was horrendous. And the sight was beyond grief.

"We found them," Itachi stated.

Deidara turned in the direction of Itachi's line of sight. Years in the force, years of seeing crime, still did not prepare him for this day. He took a step out of the room and retched vomit onto the floor. Still the smell of death overpowered the smell of his bile.

Itachi exited the room, face hardened. "If this is too hard to stomach, you should stay outside," the Uchiha male stated and headed towards the stairs to check the other floors.

Deidara took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth clean. He followed Itachi five minutes later to see Itachi frozen mid step at the centre of the 6th floor. He heard the sound of rhythmic taut leather and saw a man mid-air. A muscular bald man with a tattoo of an eagle on his neck was seen hanging from the ceiling with a leather belt. His face was blue.

"Itachi," Deidara stated, hesitantly. He knew who the man was, Itachi had provided a statement to Kisame the day Sasuke was found murdered.

"He killed my brother," Itachi verbalised slowly. His face was impassive but his fingers twitched. "I wanted to find him alive so I could kill him myself. I wanted to kill them all."

Deidara listened quietly. He did not doubt his partner.

"Who would do all this," Itachi questioned, his mind numb. The thought of a mass murder had played in his mind for years. He had secretly purchased weapons for today.

"Whoever did this, did us a favour," Deidara stated. "Whoever did this, did you a favour."

"..." Unable to respond, Itachi turned away from the body and made his way up the stairs. All the rooms had bodies slumped, decapitated or limbs removed.

At the top, he discovered that the room was a make shift laboratory. The room had a strong smell of antiseptic. There were rows and rows of metal shelves drilled into the walls. Each shelf was filled with chemicals, surgical equipment and jars filled with organs.

How many times had he looked at the pictures of the missing persons in his office? To think that today would come.

"Katashi treated them like lab rats," Deidara stated, his hands reaching out to a glass jar which contained a fetus, umbilical cord in tact. One of the Konoha residents, Yamanaka Ino was taken when she was 7 months pregnant. She was found by her husband, with her stomach opened and emptied, still struggling to breath. She survived but she came out half of what she used to be.

Itachi scanned the room and his eyes settled on a table in the middle of the room. Papers and books were scattered on the floor, surrounding the table as if someone had a mental breakdown and gave the table a good sweep.

His heart stopped and sight clouded. He walked slowly towards the table and reached for the jar, placed in the middle of the table. His five year search had finally come to an end.

"Is that..." Itachi heard Deidara's voice trail off.

Itachi clasped the jar close to his chest where a pair of crimson eyes floated in the liquid. "...It's Sasuke," Itachi confirmed, his voice small and tight. He turned away from his partner, quickly wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

It was then that the sun rose, climbing higher up the lighthouse and slowly creeping its way into the large room. Directly in front of the table, bloodied words were seen painted on the barren wall.

 _ **Grieve Konoha. Then, let the dead rest.**_

 _ **Indigo**_

* * *

After I had descended the cliffs, I stood at the shore, a lone figure, face tilted upwards to feel the sea breeze on my dirtied cheeks. I released my hair from the twins buns and it fell in waves past my shoulders, down to my waist.

Dawn came in colours of yellow, orange and red. It took my breath away but only reminded me of what I had done.

My hands had been trembling for a while now and I willed to still them. But still it trembled. I outstretched my arms in front of me, observing the very hands which had slayed them cruelly. There was no difference between what I had done and what they had done. There was not even a moment of hesitation in my act towards them. I was in a blind rage and had walked out completely unscathed which should not be. I should not have even survived.

I wondered if the seawater would wash away all my sins and blood from these hands. My clothes reeked of death and I slowly walked into the waters. Further and further until I was waist deep. My face was not even in the waters and yet I tasted salt on my lips.

I plunged into the waters, washing off the blood, the gore and their final faces. For a moment, I thought of not surfacing for a breath. The world underwater was almost peaceful. My head was heavy but the screams had dimmed.

I began to fall further and further into the darkness until it threatened to swallow me whole. Everything was slipping away, my life, my thoughts, myself. But before it could, I broke through the surface for a breathe and swam till I reached the beginnings of land.

There I was on my knees, fingers dug through the sand, my long hair almost touching the ground. I heaved and spewed out my darkest thoughts and seawater.

My breathing returned to normalcy and I felt like I could face life again.

* * *

 **To be continued...**


	9. Chapter 9 - Violet (part 1)

**A/N:**

1) Thank you to all those who have read and / or reviewed. I do hope you're enjoying the story so far.

2) In chapter 1, I realised that I indicated that the fic will only be 7 chapters. I just wanted to clarify, that there will be an additional 5 to 6 chapters before the story is considered finished. Truthfully, it came to the point that the story is writing itself (maybe I'm just too engrossed in it.)

3) Violet will be in 3 - 4 parts.

4) Although there are 7 colours in a rainbow, I will not end the fic on violet. I will add two additional colours.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

 **7 Colours of The Rainbow**

 _ **Chapter 9: Violet (Part 1)**_

By noon, Neji had decided to search for Tenten.

She had been missing since last night, even absent for breakfast. He noticed Hinata's furtive glances towards the empty chair and the dining room entrance. She also averted his gaze when he had asked her what was wrong.

"I wonder, i-if her h-hospital visit went well," she sputtered, cheeks flushed, her spoon dipped into her bowl of cereal but never reaching her lips for a taste.

Neji knew that she was lying.

"Tenten," he called out, knocking on the door.

He entered when there was no response. The bed seemed unslept and room empty. He soon heard the sound of constant water and realized that she was in the bathroom. She must have slept-in.

He knocked on her bathroom door. "Tenten," he started. "I did not see you last night." No response. "It was too bad… I was hoping to see you in a dress," he teased, hoping to hear an embarrassed response but still no answer. "Will you join us for lunch?" he asked, knocking on the door again. Silence. "Tenten?"

This time, he thought of the worst and pushed open the door, hoping that it was not locked from the inside.

* * *

Neji had found me in the bathtub. The shower was on, the hot water evaporated in the cold air, creating mist. I sat beneath the pulsing water, in a foetal position.

"Tenten," the Hyuuga heir called out. I stirred, sensing that Neji had opened up the bathroom door and that the mist was seeping out into the room. "We missed you at breakfast tod-." He stopped himself cold when he saw that the waters was intermingled with blood.

"Mmm..." I stated, groggily. I lifted my head. My arms were across my chest, hands clutching at opposite shoulders.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, worriedly. His eyes did not hide the fear.

I assessed myself and noticed that my feet were bruised and cut. Somewhere in the sea, I had lost my shoes and proceeded to walk back to the Hyuuga estate. Only I did not walk. I ran, my movements fast and actions desperate. I very much wanted to get away from what I had done. I had tumbled, once or twice, vulnerable to the elements of the earth.

I shook my head. "No," I said, my voice inaudible.

"Did you... intentionally...hurt yourself?" he asked, not wanting to ask that question but knowing that he should.

"...No," I repeated.

"We should get you to the hospital," he said, his left hand gripping the doorknob tightly.

"I'm fine, Neji," I told him, my voice tired and eyes rimmed with shadows. I gripped each side of the bathtub and pulled myself up. Water dripped down my exposed body.

He averted his gaze. He was still a man after all. "You don't look well," he stated. He reached for the neatly folded towel, placed beside the sink, on the bathroom cabinet.

I took a step and another until I was out of the bathtub. "I am. Don't worry."

He walked a few steps towards me, his gaze trailing on the tiles before him. The towel in his hand, was open.

"I'm just tired," I told him and blinked when he wrapped the towel around me. The warmth embraced me.

"Nightmares again," he asked.

"I wish it was," I said. Nightmares were not real. "I was lost in my thoughts."

"About..."

"What I should do next..." I told him. I rested my forehead on his chest. I could hear his heart beat, quickening.

I could feel his hands on my shoulders. "Did something happen?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice thick like a fog. "But can we stay like this for a while."

I felt his hands move away from my shoulders and settle on the small of my back. He pulled me in closer to him until I felt lean and hard muscles. The world melted around me. There was no time, no future, no past. Just this moment.

How long has it been since I allowed myself to feel such warmth?

* * *

All morning, sirens could be heard far in the distance which Hinata suspected was from the lighthouse.

By late afternoon, the news that Akatsuki had found the missing Konoha citizens had begun to spread like wildfire.

Hinata had hoped but knew to not let her spirits up. The Hyuugas, this afternoon were especially listless. She had heard her cousin and her uncle call the Konoha Hospital and Akatsuki for further details. But Tsunade and the Akatsuki, kept their silence.

Close to midnight, the Akatsuki had rang the bell of the Hyuuga residence. Hyuuga Hizashi had greeted both Uchiha Itachi and Deidara into the house. In the living room were Itachi, Deidara, Neji, herself and a few other Hyuuga elders.

"I am sure you have heard the rumours," Itachi started. He was sitting on an ornate wooden chair which he suspected was worth more than his monthly salary. His gaze was met with anticipative faces. "We wanted to confirm our findings before we make a formal announcement."

"So the rumours are true," a Hyuuga elder, with half moon glasses, stated. "You found those evil bastards."

"Yes," Deidara stated, confirming the news.

"Including Katashi?" Hinata asked, desperate. Itachi and Deidara met each others gazes briefly. "W-what of Katashi?"

"We were unable to locate him," Itachi stated, his hands were clasped in from of him. "But the Akatsuki is monitoring the lighthouse and surrounding area closely."

Hinata's heart stopped. That meant that Katashi could still come after her cousin.

"We are sure that he will come back," Deidara continued. "When he does we are ready."

Hizashi nodded. "Of course." Hanabi walked in with hot beverages for all and placed it on the coffee table. "Have you interrogated the others," Hizashi asked. "They might know the whereabouts of that man."

"I'm afraid," Deidara started. "That there are no survivors."

Hinata's heart dropped. Her foolish hope that her father had survived was taken away.

"Even Katashi's men?" Deidara nodded. "How is that possible?" Hizashi asked. He hoped that none of the taken Konoha citizens would survive. He even prayed of their deaths so that they would no longer know of the pain.

"We are still looking into this," Deidara shared, taking a sip of the coffee.

"I'm afraid. We had shared more than what we could," Itachi stated.

"Hinata-sama." She turned to her cousin, who was eying her with concern. "Are you ok?"

She nodded, mechanically. "Did you find my father?" Hinata asked, turning to face Itachi.

"That was why we came," he stated. He placed a bundle on Hinata's lap.

All gazes fell on her. She slowly pulled at the knot, unraveling it, to reveal a familiar looking necklace. In her hand, was the Hyuuga necklace. Her father's Hyuuga necklace to be precise. To make sure, she turned the pendant around and saw her father's name.

She covered her mouth in surprise and tears of relief fell. "It's my father's," she confirmed. Her shoulders shook and her sister wrapped an arm around her.

"His body," Hanabi stated, her voice raspy. "When can we see it."

"I know it is difficult," Deidara said. "But there is not much of him left that we found."

"But there is a lot of him left in you," Itachi added in, his gaze on Hanabi. "We hope … that is how you will remember him."

"We understand," Hizashi stated, looking over at the other Hyuuga elders. "We thank you for not giving up."

"The mayor wants to hold the funeral as soon as possible," Itachi voiced out. He was on his feet now. "For all of them."

"Yes," Another elder, with cropped hair, agreed. "The sooner they are laid to rest the better."

Deidara smiled and stood up. "Thank you for the coffee," Itachi stated, his own coffee left untouched. "There are other families that we must…"

Hizashi stood up too and walked to the door. "Yes, please. Go ahead."

* * *

After Itachi's and Deidara's departure, all had left to resign in their rooms. But Neji could not stop thinking about Hinata. Her facial features were indescribable that night. Hinata had never held that look before.

He stopped mid-air from knocking on her door, his knuckle never reaching the bedroom door. He could hear voices. One of them was Tenten. The other Hinata.

"I-I'm sorry, Tenten," Hinata breathed. "I.. made you do something that you can never t-take back."

Tenten's voice was soft, but it came, even and restraint. "It had to be done, Hinata."

"D-did you at least find what you are looking for?" Hinata asked.

"No," Tenten murmured.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm so s-sorry, Tenten," Hinata breathed out shakily.

"Don't cry." He heard Tenten say. "Because of you, I knew where to look."

"It took 5 years for me to r-remember," Hinata said. "Many more people would not have been t-taken, if I had remembered."

"But you did remember," Tenten said, her voice soothing. "And because of you, they were all found."

Neji left without acknowledging his presence. He decided that their conversation was private and that Tenten would do a better job of calming his cousin down than he ever would.

"Not Katashi," Hinata said, her voice strained. "K-Katashi is still alive."

"He won't be." Tenten said, finally.

"He will come after Neji," Hinata stated, fear seeping through her voice.

"I will be ready when that day comes." Tenten's voice was filled with resolve. "I won't let it happen."

* * *

The next day, the funeral started when the last ray of sun left Konoha.

A large and deep pit was dug at the edge of the Konoha forest where there were only a few trees and an open space. It took 20 men four hours to dig a pit six feet into the ground. Nearby loggers, had prepared dried barks of 20 trees for the fire, which were lined inside the pit.

It seemed that the entire Konoha population was present, all clad in black clothing, faces frozen in sadness. To me, it was reminiscence of the eulogy held for the fourth shinobi war.

The mourners all stood in a circle surrounding the pit, watching the volunteers place the bodies gently in the middle of pit, in rows and then stacks.

When the final body was laid to rest, the current mayor, Nagato, had made his way up the makeshift podium. He had rarely made a public appearance since he was undergoing cancer treatment. He was bone thin, his eyes bloodshot and face ashen. He had insisted to be there that day despite just undergoing chemotheraphy just a few hours earlier. He convinced his secretary, Konan and advisor, Yahiko, that this is the most important and final task as mayor before his successor would take over in another two weeks.

I watched him from across the pit, Neji and the other Hyuugas, by my side.

Nagato unfolded a piece of paper, his eyes trailing on the paper. "I had written an eulogy for today," he stated, his voice breaking the silence. His voice was clear and loud. "But I realised that it's not what I wanted to say. It also might not be what you all wanted to hear." He crumpled the paper in his bare hands and placed it on the podium. "It took us five long years for closure. Most of us lived not knowing when today might come. We have lived, learning how to live without them." His white eyes gazed over at his many friends and family. "How did we make it to today?" Today, the reign of Pein, as tabloids had called his seven years as mayor, has ended.

His eyes glanced to the pit at all the white cloth shrouding the bodies. As the mayor, he had requested the akatsuki not to reveal the bodies to the families. The living should not remember the dead that way. "Close your eyes," he told everyone. "All of you, close your eyes." Everyone did, including myself. "Do you see them? Do you see the fallen? Do you see your brother, your sister, your parents, your child, your friend?"

I opened my eyes and glanced upwards to my right. Neji was right beside me, his eyes closed, he was remembering his uncle, Sasuke and his other fallen friends. His face was solemn and the area between his eyes were creased.

"Are they smiling?" The mayor asked. I glanced down at Neji's hand, next to mine, and intertwined my hand with his. He squeezed back reassuring me when I wanted to reassure him. His face had a hint of a smile. I faced forward and closed my eyes again, Neji in my thoughts.

"Say your goodbyes," Nagato urged, his voice strong but wavered. "Tell them what you always wanted to say..." A few minutes of quietness ensued, all deep in their conversations with the fallen.

Many years after Neji's death, I had learnt a crucial part of the reason towards my grief. "I love you, Neji," I said, painfully. I had finally admitted it to myself.

"Now tell them, that you will be ok... that we will all be ok." Raw pain and stifled sobs could be heard, here and there. "Now, open your eyes," he said.

When I finally opened my eyes, not a single dry eye was in sight. Some faces, I avoided to see, because the heaviness of the finality that etched on their faces, was too overwhelming for me to bear.

"It is ok to cry. It is ok to miss them," Nagato continued, his voice thick with emotions. He looked at each and everyone of us. "As men, the strongest cry, the strongest will always remember. And the strongest will live for their good memory." Nagato took careful but slow steps down the makeshift podium and made his way to the edge of the pit. "For them, we will live... Konoha will live." Cupped in his hand, was a white paper lotus. In the middle of the lotus was a short candle which his secretary, had lit with a match.

Nagato lifted his hands, and released the lotus into the pit. The flower slowly descending downwards, like a flitting butterfly with broken wings. The flower was, now, in a beautiful flame.

Slowly, one by one, the people of Konoha, walked forward to the pit, their flowers too lit and released. I too did the same; the sight before me beautiful. The flowers were floating, floating, until the fire died out, only to be reignited in the pit, brighter, stronger. The embers from the fire lifted like fireflies, surround all present, until it disappeared into the night sky.

The next day, the fire had died. The pit, which was filled with ashes, was filled with earth. A monument in memory of the fallen was erected above it. All the names of the deceased were etched permanently in stone.

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued…**_


	10. Chapter 10 - Violet (part 2)

**A/N:**

1) Thank you to everyone who had reviewed and / or read the chapters thus far.

2) To the reviewer 'guest', the answer to your question will be revealed soon. But a hint, Neji always had a good hunch.

3) Apologies for the late update.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

 **7 Colours of the Rainbow**

 **Chapter 10: Violet ( Part 2)**

Under the glow of the crescent moon, I laid down on the slope of the roof of the Hyuuga residence. I was counting stars in the midnight sky, mind fighting against the drowsiness of that called sleep. The Hyuugas had long retired to their beds after the funeral.

I was waiting. Katashi would have seen what I have done to his people at the lighthouse and one of these days he would come for Neji because Neji's eyes were a crucial part to his masterplan. And for this, I will be ready.

However, I did not count on him coming so soon. Deep into the night, just faintly, I heard the sound of leaves rustling and branches heaving. Not all at once, like when the wind is carried through, but a gradual rustle that seemed to spread from one tree to another and another. It was a familiar sound, which I have heard many times throughout the years.

It only meant shinobi.

Inhaling a sharp breath, I sat up, flipped over to my stomach and went on all fours. My eyes peeked from the ridge of the roof, scanning the surrounding area of the Hyuuga compound. The outer garden was large and lined with full trees, which indicated the extent of the Hyuuga land.

The sound came again and this time, in the still of night, I saw a branch of a single tree sway. Perched on a sturdy branch was a huddled shape which seemed to rise from the somber darkness.

It took me less than a second to process that he was here.

It took him less than a second to know that I was there because the trees had started swaying again and, a moment later, the dark shadow was still, perched on another branch of a tree, closer to the West Wing.

I pulled myself up to the peak of the roof, the faint glow of the moon outlining my body. For a while, we stared at each other, not knowing who would make the first move. Him or myself.

It was a dreadful five minutes of quietness and a mental battle on who would resign first. Neji was on my mind and I decided to lead him away from where Neji was. I tilted my head to the North Wing in hope that he would take my bait.

Katashi took it, because he was no longer there and a figure was quickly making its way to the North Wing.

Taking a deep breath to calm the storm of my heart, I pushed forward, balancing my body on the five inch wide ridge of the roof and ran... and ran until I reached the end of the ridge and leapt in the air...

I flew momentarily, like the dragons I call before the impending certainty my victims call death. The cool night air, grazed my cheeks, combed through my unbound hair... and then, I was falling downwards, hard towards Katashi.

I raised my katana high in the air and swiped downwards. My blade had met against his own. Before I could properly land or wound him, Katashi had pushed me back with inhuman strength. I was flung backwards, a nearby tree trunk breaking my fall. How did he get so strong?

I turned over to the left upon hearing the familiar whizzing of a kunai. It came with a soft 'thunk', the blade just grazing the tip of my ear.

"Coming here was a mistake." I told him, breathing in the scent of flowers that wafted through the air. It smelt familiar; sweet but strangely sickening to the stomach. "I'd hope once you've seen what I can do, you would never return."

"It is because of what you have done that I am here," he breathed, voice breaking through the cool night air.

Without a second thought, I pushed forward again, this time, running head on towards him, my blade aiming towards his neck. I saw his teeth gleam in the darkness and he dissappeared, only to reappear beside me. I feigned left but went right instead, ramming my shoulder, hard, against his stomach.

He coughed and spat out a mixture of spit and blood.

"Enough," he choked out. He grabbed the collar of my yukata and lifted me a few inches from the ground. I made a fast sweep with my katana which he had caught with his teeth and broke my blade in two.

My eyes widened and he flung me hard against the tree. I hit the tree head first, my thoughts a blur, my steps disoriented. I slowly slid down to the ground, my body doubled over, fighting the bile that threatened to come out.

Katashi was covered in the shadows. However, I had managed to see a glimpse of his face just now. There was nothing human with his appearance.

"I saw the bloodbath you left for me at the lighthouse," he stated, his fingers tugged at the strings that secured the wide rimmed straw hat on his head and removed it. The hat now laid beside his feet. "I assume I was to be the main recipient."

I lifted my head, thoughts of what I should do next, weighing in my mind. I had no weapons, those which I had bought with me still buried a few feet underground.

"Were you impressed?" I slurred, my blurred eyesight slowly gaining normalcy.

He smiled crookedly, his jaw noticeably angular. I noticed an angry red line that appeared and seemed to connect his jaw from one ear to the other. "You left a bloody mess which the Akatsuki helped clean up later. But I appreciated the gesture. Sooner or later, I would have done it myself."

"What happened to your face?" I asked him. "Were you always this hideous?"

He cackled, his sharp teeth gleaming. "I find myself so beautiful." He stepped forward, the moon's light illuminating his new found features. "But my body is still incomplete." His entire face was disfigured. His nose bridge which was aristocratic-like was now flat, with flared nostrils.

"The Kagi clan would have your head for this," I stated, disgusted.

"Well," he said, an amused look on his face. "They would, since this belonged to the Clan Head. I had to have it you see. I was particularly mesmerised by their ability to breath out fire through their nose." He sneered and showed off his new pearly whites. They were sharp and able to bite through human bone as if it were a twig. "Then, I got particularly greedy and took the Fuuma heir's jaw."

I pulled myself to my feet, my hand reaching my broken katana. Only the blade was within my reach. The hilt of my katana was flung a few feet away. If I was quick, I might have a chance.

His eyes trailed to the blade within my grasp. "I know not to underestimate your abilities," he said, fixing his stance and wielding his two-edged katana in front of him. "Especially since I now know that you are Indigo."

The craftmanship of his katana was familiar and one-of-a-kind. Each blacksmith had their own signature when forging weapons and there were not many double edged katanas available in the market.

"Where did you get that?" I asked him, a deep sense of dread filling my being. My eyes were fixed to the blade.

"Well..." He feigned ignorance, bringing the katana closer to his line of sight and admiring the blade and hilt. "I'm surprised that you don't know your own weapon, Indigo, especially since you were the one who gave it to me." He gave a small chuckle.

"I would never do that." That katana was one of my best craftmanships. The blade was thin, and impeccably sharply. A traditional katana was curved but as it was a double edged blade, I had lessened the severity of the blade's curve to maximise its strength. I only ever had forged two of them.

"I'm surprised you don't remember me." But the look of horror on my face told him a different story.

"I would never have thought that you were Indigo until I saw your blood message left on the wall of my laboratory," he explained. "We last saw each other many years ago, amongst destruction and death. Amongst a field of wilted flowers and our shared ideologies," he said, watching my expression. "You did not know me as Katashi then." He opened his pouch and put a mask over his head. It was old, and the edges of the mask burnt and chipped. "But you did give me the name that I am so widely known back in our world. A name based off the field of flowers that I grew up in and later destroyed."

My throat constricted and my mouth went dry. If my heart could stop beating, it would right now.

"... Violet..." I murmured. And memories that I had long buried came flooding back.

...

 _Dirt... that was what I was as I was pushed to the ground, face down. My assaillant had gripped a good chunk of my damp long hair and pressed my face deep into the mud. I could taste the soil on my lips from behind my mask, through a severe crack at my mouth region. My body was immobile due to the enemy having closed off the chakra points on my arms and legs. My airways were also blocked and airless lungs searing in pain. This person, the second-in-command, Junsho, seemed to understand the usage of each chakra points on the human body as much as a Hyuuga clan member._

 _Then, my hair was yanked back roughly and neck whipped behind. My body was lifted and I found myself kneeling. The enemy was behind me, with a long blade against my neck. I panted, breathing in the much needed oxygen. The rain felt cool against my skin and a calm washed over me despite my current difficulties._

 _"So you are the infamous, Indigo," he stated. I could imagine his beady pale yellow eyes, enjoying the sight of my resign. "I thought you would be ... more difficult to handle."_

 _I closed my eyes and relaxed my body. I focused on the flow of chakra throughout my body, sending pulses of chakra to the closed points in hopes to ease it open again._

 _Once upon a time, Neji had told me that the Hyuuga children were taught meditation since young. It helped the Hyuuga children understand the gifts of their eyes and the chakra movement of their own bodies. Once a person understood that, they were able to manipulate their own chakras and even open up their own chakra points. I was not as apt as a Hyuuga but I have learnt to do it. However, to open up my chakra points again requires time that I might not have._

 _I let out a weak throaty laugh. "You think you're stronger than me. I had taken on 15 of your men."_

 _Junsho gripped my hair tighter and the blade was pressed harder against my skin. "And yet here you are kneeling in defeat."_

 _"I am not defeated," I told him. "I'm just taking a moment to take in the damage that I inflicted with my storm." I had made my presence known to the secluded group, headed by the last remaining Kawai clan member, upon the first drop of rain. It was formed ten years ago and consists of missing shinobi from various clans. There were whispers that they were actually a group of religious zealots, whose extreme beliefs had led to unnecessary deaths of the innocence and experimental medical methods._

 _"Don't tempt me," he said with gritted teeth. I could feel his hot breath beside my ear._

 _"You won't kill me," I emphasized. Just a bit more. If I could ease the chakra a bit more, to enable just one leg and one arm, I might have a chance to escape. "There are many bounties for me with condition that I am brought alive."_

 _He clucked his tongue. "Material matters never did interest me. Only power." He adjusted the blade in his hand. "Right now, I am in power." He tapped my mask with the tip of his blade. "You should pray," he pressed. "I will give you and your god a moment."_

 _There was no silence while I was waiting for death to come. No lost memories of happiness remembered. No regretful thoughts that burnt my eyes came. Only the sound of raindrops pelting on my mask, on soft ground and my breath came loud and clear. I opened my eyes and the sight before me slowed down. I could see each single rain drop falIing from the ink painted sky, each terror stricken faces frozen in their deaths and lightning breaking through the sky in all its frightening glory._

 _Soon, my gaze fell onto buds of violets, which had nested itself in the mouths of the dead. Its stricken colour a startling comparison against the grays and browns that painted the landscape of the area. Even the fields, once I am sure, was filled with blossoms of flowers, were now wilted and darkly pale._

 _I prayed for my death to come fast and painless. I had long given up on opening my chakra points. It would take an additional 20 minutes of which I do not have. And even if I were to dodge my own beheading, it would be difficult to avoid his later onslaught._

 _"You know what I prayed for?" He uttered, tightening his hold on my hair. "I prayed that in the afterlife, you would be denied your heaven."_

 _I gave a low guttaral laughter. Was there even a heaven?_

 _"Hold her," Junsho yelled, instructing his henchman to hold me by the hair. He walked in front of me, motted face displeased and eyes with hard resolve. He raised his katana in the air. The blade , reflecting the flash of lightning that had made its way across the sky._

 _I closed my eyes and waited. I prayed for Lee and Gai Sensei to pick up the beautiful pieces in my ugly remnants of my life, gather them all at once and deliver it to Metal, so that he would know that his mother had once been... whole._

 _What I did not count for was my body falling to the side, onto the mud. A piece of my mask cracked off from the impact. I heard the sound of gurgling and abrupt screams and opened my eyes. As I was facing to the side, I saw a pair of bare feet, dirtied with mud and fresh blood, walking towards Junsho._

 _Junsho was breathing in shallow rapid breaths. His throat was cut open, and the blood that came from the jugular vein, formed a stream towards me._

 _My saviour, knelt on the ground beside Junsho. He wore a mask, burnt around the edges and made of ivory bone. He held a hand over Junsho's eyes and placed a single violet into his mouth. I took in the sight of a raised fist and a metal claw held sturdy. I watched as he busted open Junsho's chest and ripped through his heart._

 _"Is this enough?" I heard him say to himself. "89 flowers," he counted, his gaze never leaving the flower. "Has it already been 89 flowers."_

 _"Such beauty should not be given to him," I stated._

 _He whipped around, the ivory bone mask, seemed to glow in the overcast day. He was one of Junsho's accomplices, however, choosing to watch from the sidelines as Junsho had restrained me from my further deadly advancements._

 _"What will be of me?" I asked him. "Death?"_

 _His eyes, painted with not a single emotion, blinked."I was assigned by the council to infiltrate this group. I am here to help." He pulled me upwards, my hands wound tightly around his neck. "We have to stay low for a while until you can fight," he said, his voice muffled by the faceless mask. "The others will know that it is my doing. They will hunt for us."_

 _"I need time to open my chakra points."_

 _"How much time do you need?"_

 _"Half an hour at most." He nodded. I rested my head against his wide yet reliable back and focused on easing the chakra pulses to my chakra points again._

 _..._

"I thought you had left this life a long time ago..." I said, my voice small. "You said that the council would let you retire after a few more missions."

He gave me a long dreadful stare. "I, like you, thought that the people that we had to go after were all pure evil. Some are but I had learnt of the truth and it seemed that we were the fools."

I lunged at him, pushing my blade into his shoulder. The palm of my hand bled as I gripped the blade tightly and pushed in further. He grunted as my sword penetrated his flesh and cut the rope that held his cape together. The heavy fabric slid to the ground, revealing his new right arm.

My eyes widened. "You killed a member of the Jenga clan?" I asked. The Jenga clan were lizard-like humans. Green but with durable skin and sharp claws that could cut through metal. The Jenga clan did not belong to any village and lived in seclusion. But an earthquake up north had swallowed their home and only three known survivors were known to be in existence as per Sasuke's report. Sasuke had stayed with them for two years until they were old enough to live on their own. "They're still children."

His green hand wrapped around my throat, constricting my airway. He lifted me a few inches from the ground. My feet dangled in the air and my two hands gripped his green arm. "I'm not that cruel," he stated, he shook his head. "I waited till the eldest was 18 before I claimed his life."

I gagged and my legs shifted in the air. "Why?" I struggled to ask.

"Because of the truth of my existence." He watched as my face turned ashen.

He loosened his hold. "What is this truth?" I uttered, gritting my teeth.

"That I could change the world. That I could control the world," he said. "I want you to join me."

"...no," I sputtered.

A long silence. "You should think long and hard before you reply me. I could have ended your life by now but I did not. I could have taken that Hyuuga that you so hold dear but I did not." He gave me a discerning grin. "I could burn this place down and yet I did not. Why is that?"

Yes. Why was that? My head and limbs grew heavy due to the lack of oxygen.

"I want you to join me. We could start this world anew."

My mouth formed a sneer. "I will join you in your grave instead."

His grin disappeared and he sighed. "You really have no choice." He threw me against the ground, much harder this time. His foot connected to my stomach and I curled up in a foetal position, writhing in agony. "I have leverage." He squated, his eyes surveying the damage that my body had taken. "I thought you held your son so dear," he whispered, wiping the wisps of hair away from my eyes.

...

 _The skies had cleared and the rain had ceased. Seven, my saviour, and I, were huddled in an abandoned shack, both covered in mud to hide our scent from the search party. A former hunter-nin were amongst them._

 _"Are you from Konoha?" I asked him. The blockage on my chakra points for my arms and right leg were cleared. I was now focusing on enabling my left leg._

 _"No," he said. "I am from the Land of Earth. But I used to live here with my family and fellow villagers, until they were all murdered. I was the only survivor." I turned towards him. The mask on his face held no colour but a 'VII' etched on his forehead region. "I wandered away from our fields of violets and memories of home. The Daimyo, out of kindness, took me in."_

 _"The council that you speak of..." I trailed off._

 _He turned towards me. "The council exists everywhere, hidden with interconnected webs throughout the lands." He brandished his blade, wiping the blood off with a dirtied cloth. The metal, poorly forged was bent awkwardly. "They select people like us who has every reason to fight, yet no reason to live."_

 _"We correct the world," I told him._

 _He nodded. "And yet we are seen as evil. But it is a necessary evil."_

 _"What happened to your village?" I asked him, but soon after decided against it. The less we knew of each other the better. "You don't have to answer that. It is not my place to know."_

 _I saw his light gray eyes pierce through my own."A group of men, lead by a Kawai Clan member came to our village, seeking for a place to rest. They seemed like good men, helping with our farming in return for food and shelter. For one week, they stayed with us until one nightfall..." His face tilted downwards. "The villagers. My family. All 128 of them...murdered."_

 _"And the flowers?" I asked._

 _"Are for them," he said, he took another bud from a pouch. The flowers were small, young buds. "These days, I yearn only for peaceful days... the council had promised me a way out."_

 _"I have yet to have those thoughts of leaving this life," I voiced out._

 _He saw my lips moving from where the mask had cracked off. "Who is he?" he asked. "Not the person that you have lost but the person that you are fighting for."_

 _"We have shared too much about each other."_

 _"No. I did," he stated. "I want someone to know that I am good although my methods may be wrong."_

 _After a few moments of silence, I spoke. "...Am I still good?"_

 _"Yes," he voiced out. "You can only fight for the dead for so long. But someone living, you will fight for forever."_

 _"A son," I told him. "I have a son."_

 _"Well," he started. "We should come out of this alive then. We have every reason to live." A trap nearby was set off and a scream of agony could be heard. "How's that leg?"_

 _"I'm good to go." I thrusted him a double edged katana. "Take it," I told him. He was hesitant on taking my weapon. "We're to come out alive remember." He nodded, chucking away his old katana and taking in my own._

 _We were done two hours later. We left no survivors and the once violet fields, were streaked in red._

 _I had found him in front of an old house with a dark blue door. I knew it was where he lived as a child._

 _"Seven, protocol has it that I am to burn this village down after I am done," I told him._

 _"Protocol," he said, his voice, detached. A hand placed on the door knob._

 _"Your family is no longer here. There is no one to welcome you here anymore," I said, softly. "There is no one behind that door."_

 _"Yes. No one is left but me," he said. "But I need to take a look. I have long forgotten their faces. I have no photos of them," he said, slowly._

 _"I will leave you be then," I uttered. "When you are done..."_

 _"I will burn this place down," he confirmed._

 _"I'm sorry that it has to be this way."_

 _"Don't be," he said. "I have no more attachments to this place." I nodded and turned to leave, when he caught my sleeve. "Would you give me a name? The council only ever refers to me by a number."_

 _"You already have a name; given by your parents," I said. "Isn't that enough?"_

 _"I would like to leave that memory behind. I wish to start afresh."_

 _Everyone had their own way to cope with loss. "Violet..." I decided. "Violet. For your precious family that never left your thoughts and the land that you had reclaimed today."_

 _The last I saw him, he had unmasked himself and placed his mask by the door. His back was facing me and his face away from my view. He had stepped into his old house, the darkness, welcoming him, enveloping him._

 _A month later, violet had made it into the bingo books, for a reason that was not known to me. A year later, he had steadily made a name and climbed to one of the most wanted criminals in the shinobi world. Soon after, he quickly disappeared from the face of the earth._

 _..._

"You know what I found that day after we had wrecked havoc on earth?" he asked, not waiting for an answer. "There was a basement. I remembered from my childhood so many years ago. My father had forbid me from ever going down there, warning about monsters that made its home there. When I went downstairs, I found a book, a pair of Hyuuga eyes and myself," he continued.

"I read the book slowly in a span of two months. I could hear my father narrating the history of my ancestors. He was alive in that book." He stroked my hair. "I reached a chapter and discovered that I am a relative of the Ootsutsuki clan. My ancestors were entrusted with knowledge of chakra. My family had chosen to reside in this village to hide away from unwanted attention," he spoke in a trance-like voice. "In that book I found the truth. The council lied to me. Lied to us. That group of men did not kill the villagers. The council did because they were afraid of what my family could do." He patted my cheek. "Indigo, we were fooled. We may have killed innocent men because of the council." He stood up and placed his straw hat atop his head.

"Even if that was the truth, I would never betray my village," I choked up.

"And yet your village hunts Indigo," he said. "Once the truth is known of your identity, if the village knows of your identity, they will turn on you. It is only a matter of time."

"Find someone else."

"There is no one else that I know who is able to do what I will ask you to do," he stated. "You will join me. You will bring the Hyuuga to me. If you don't..." he trailed off. "You know what is of risk."

I coughed, the coldness of the night seeping through my thin yukata.

"I will find you," he said. "If you choose not to do this, your son will be left a burning memory. And the Hyuuga will go through unnecessary torture."

He disappeared into the night, leaving me with a bruised yet winded body.

I laid there till sunrise, my suppressed pain threatening to spill through lost expressions and unearthing traumas.

Would I choose my son, who I had abandoned, or Neji, who I had once lost.

* * *

The next day, at dawn, Neji found me beneath the oak tree, at the outer land of the Hyuuga compound.

I had a shovel in hand and was desperately digging through the earth. The cream yukata that I was wearing was stained with dirt and dried blood. The shovel finally hit something hard and I heard a clang of metal.

"What are you doing?" He asked me, watching me claw at the earth, the shovel no longer in my hand.

"I need to get my weapons," I told him.

"What happened to you?" he stated, lifting my chin up gently and noticing the bruised imprint of a hand on my neck.

"An old... friend visited last night," I told him. I continued to dig at the earth.

"A friend would do this to you?"

"We don't always see eye to eye," I responded.

He assessed me under a watchful gaze, knowing that my answer was a lie. But the underlying tone of my voice, cold and faraway, made him leave the subject for now.

"You should get that looked at," he said. He joined me a few seconds later, his long fingers, raking at the earth until a piece of cloth was seen poking out from the ground.

"Hinata had given me a salve long ago. I had applied it on my neck. It should help," I stated.

"I had a dream," he said, his voice husky in the morning.

"About your mother?" I voiced out. An object pricked at me and blood trickled out of the wound on my finger.

"No... About you," he said, so quietly it was almost taken by the early morning wind. He grasped my hand and carefully wiped the blood and dirt away from my fingers, with the edge of his yukata.

The warmth of his touch left tingling imprints on my fingers.

"I dreamt that you left," he continued, his white eyes searching my own.

I pulled my hand away from his grasp and proceeded to yank at the cloth.

"What do you need your weapons for?" he asked me, reaching for the cloth too and yanking it hard. The soil lifted and the heavy sack was freed.

"I just want to claim back what is mine," I said, simply.

"Are you leaving?" He asked. The words spoken were so soft, I almost did not hear it.

"Not yet," I said. I untied the rope that kept the sack fastened and took a good look at the weapons inside, making sure that all were at hand. "But there is a place I must go to today."

"I'll follow you," he stated, wiping his dirtied hands on a handkerchief.

"Please don't," I told him.

"Regardless, we both know that I'll come with you," he said, his resolve strong.

I knew that which is why I openly announced my plan for later today. "You shouldn't trust me."

"You shouldn't trust me either but yet you do."

He turned away towards the house, leaving me to wonder what he meant.

* * *

After lunch, we found ourselves wandering the streets of Konoha where the market was bustling with activity, exuberant people, attractive goods and abundant traditional foods.

I wore my usual shinobi training clothes, a white chinese inspired top with black pants. I had tied a small red scarf around my neck to hide the large bruise. Under my clothes and tucked into my twin buns were my weapons. It had been a few weeks without my weapons. I almost forgot the feeling and weight of metal against my skin.

"Is this where you wanted to go?" he asked, taking a bite of the pork dumpling that he had bought from a chinese street vendor. He had saw me eying it earlier and bought it for us to snack on without a word.

"No, it's near here," I said. "A little out of the way. I just wonder if it exists."

I felt a presence nearby that seemed to differ from the other market going people. I was being followed followed. My eyes darted here and there but it recognised no one.

We walked on wordlessly; the market getting more packed as time goes by. The narrow paths, forced passerbys to walk in a single file. A stout man was seen juggling two heavy paper bags filled to the brim in fruits. Another elderly woman was seen pulling a small trolley filled with her weekly groceries.

We had stopped at a lemonade stand to parch our dried throats.

"Sour," I voiced out.

"Hn," he agreed.

We had reached the end of the market and sat on a bench, sipping our drinks slowly.

"This is my first time here," Neji admitted.

"People who lived a life of privilege do not need to come here," I retorted, amused by the glare I received. "How was it?"

"It was... an experience," he said, finally.

"I used to go to the market all the time," I revealed. "Alone... or sometimes with friends." I glanced down at the half emptied cup. "I have this one friend who hated the market because it was intrusive and loud. He preferred to be in a more quiet environment. But he still came with me anyway. Although with a scowl." I gave him half a smile. "I think it was for the pork dumplings."

"He must be important to you."

"He was..." I replied.

"He still is." Neji held my gaze.

"Maybe," I replied. I took a long sip.

"I want to know more of you." he stated.

"But?" I replied.

"I trust that you will be honest with me and that is why I do not ask," he continued.

"I never thought of you as a fool," I told him. "I know you understand more than you are letting on. Once you are ready for the truth, I will answer any questions you have of me." I stood up and stretched my legs. "Come on. If I'm correct, the place is that way," I said, pointing him in the direction of the Konoha forest.

We walked a good 50 meters into the forest, on a rudden and crooked path until we came across an opening. It was overgrown with grass and choked with weeds but it still did look like my own training ground back home.

"It's here," I voiced out, in awe. I took in the sight of burnt orange coloured grass and dried patches of mud.

"What is here?" he stated, unsure of what he was seeing.

"My most fondest memories. A place where I spent most of my time in my youth," I stated, my voice turning grave. "A place where I no longer belong... not after today," I whispered. "You shouldn't have come."

"You know I would."

I nodded. "That is something you both have in common," I stated, my lips set in a grim line. "I am sorry for what is going to happen next."

Neji felt a presence behind him. Before he could react, a green arm had wrapped him in a chokehold. Panic flooded his mind as his airway was crushed.

"I bought you to him," I said, watching as Neji's body fell limp in Violet's arms.

"I knew you'd make the right decision," Violet stated.

* * *

 _The seasons are very much like human evolution. Where the death of winter passes, it breathes life into spring with its child-like innocence. Gradually, the leaves start to sprout from stark trees, a beautiful lively green colour. Flowers also appear, tiny buds at first, then, full blooms in adulthood._

 _Spring had always been Lee's favourite season. On a spring day, he had met Gai Sensei, in all his green spandex glory, loudly strange yet magnetic attitude with an ocean background scenery that was unlike any genjutsu that he had studied at school. Lee had first gained his resolve to be the best taijutsu specialist that day when Gai Sensei told him, full of confidence, that Lee's dream was possible and very much reachable. Lee never had anyone believe in him before and in his barren heart bloomed a single flower of hope._

 _It was also on a spring day, that he became part of Team Gai. He was thankful, that he had graduated, passing his exams just barely. Judging from the side glance from Tenten and the sigh from Neji, he knew that they were unimpressed to be on the same team with him, but he would later prove them wrong. Lee would always challenge them for a spar. Tenten would just throw her kunais from where she stood, a bored look on her face, to see whether he could outrun them or not. Neji would refuse until he eventually gave in to Lee's persistent outbursts. Come next spring, Tenten would help him with developing the second gate. Neji, to his amazement, asked to spar together. And in that second spring, he was fully accepted as a member of Team Gai._

 _Although, Team Gai had its share of hardships and loss, every spring, Lee prayed that things would get better, that the year would start anew and his emptied heart, would be filled again and, one day, when he had stopped praying, Metal Lee was born._

 _A year ago, on a fine spring day, the Konoha Shinobi Academy held its graduation for its final year students. His son, Metal Lee, was one of them. Lee was almost late having added an extra 200 crunches to his already rigorous routine because he had lost count and decided to redo the entire routine, just in case. He had managed to find a seat at the edge of the auditorium, near one of the many opened windows, just beside Yamanaka Ino and Sai._

 _He had found Tenten watching, a lone figure beneath the large tree where, many years ago, an adolescent Naruto would spend most of his school break. It took him three glances to really make sure that it was her. She stood there, wordlessly, not realising that Lee found her watching. He noticed that she had a mask in hand but it was partially hidden by the bleak cloak that she wore._

 _'She must be ANBU,' he thought, his heart clenching at the thought. How long had she been in the ANBU force? It would explain the long absences and distant emotional connection._

 _She waited till Metal's name was called to the stage. Metal, very much his father's son, crossed the stage with such bounce in his steps, that the wooden slates creaked with each movement and the sun revolved behind him. Lee quickly turned to the front and took a few commemorative pictures, before turning to his former teammate, but she was no longer there._

 _Lee tore out of the auditorium, in search of his former teammate._

 _"Tenten," he called out, appearing in front of her. He had found her, not too far away from the school._

 _Tenten stopped in her steps, an indescribable look on her face. When did she learn to make the same stoic face as Neji?_

 _"Lee," she replied._

 _He flashed her a toothy grin, hoping that she did not notice how much he worried about her. "I haven't seen you for the past week."_

 _She pursed her lips. "I was away on a mission."_

 _"So you will be back for a while?" he said, his voice considerably brighter. "We could go have congratulatory lunch with Metal and Gai Sensei later. What do you say?"_

 _"I am only back for a few hours," she stated. "To give a mission update."_

 _Lee felt his happy facade melt off his face. Tenten noticed._

 _"I came back to see his graduation," she said, quietly, truthfully. "I waited till he was on the stage."_

 _"You received the invitation card that I sent you?" Lee said. Weeks ago, he had wanted to submit the invitation to her personally but she was not home. So he had slipped it under her door instead._

 _"Yes."_

 _Lee gave a smile and shifted his feet. "You could stay, at least, stay until the ceremony is over. Our budding seed has sprouted into a tree."_

 _She gave him a small smile. "He is a young man now."_

 _From afar, they heard the the subtle sounds of applause to students collecting their certificates. "He has been asking for you more."_

 _She gave him that slight smile that never reached her eyes. "He has been coming round the weapons store more often."_

 _"That's not what I meant..." Lee started, keeping his voice jovial. "He has been asking about his mother. Who she is? Where she's from? A picture even." He searched her eyes, unable to deciphor her expression. "He's old enough to know."_

 _"Then, tell him," Tenten stated. Lee was surprised, he did not expect her to exceed to his request so easily. "Tell him everything he wants to know and if he has any more questions, then I will answer them."_

 _"Are-are you sure?" Lee hesitated._

 _"I never wanted to be a secret from him. It was never my intention but only for his safety."_

 _"Does this mean we can start being a family?" Lee asked, he rubbed his neck. "Of course not as my wife. Just would you be around more for Metal." He failed to say that it was for him and Gai Sensei too. Tenten was a huge presence in their lives and her absence was felt everyday._

 _"It would be difficult."_

 _"What would it take?" Lee asked._

 _"..." She never answered._

 _Lee did not press her any further. He was happy with what little answer he had received._

 _"HEY OTOUSAN," a young voice boomed._

 _Both Lee and Tenten turned to see their son in the distance. He was waving his certificate in the air, his friends beside him._

 _"TENTEN SENSEI," Metal stated, excitement in his voice._

 _Tenten gave him a wave. "He really doesn't know," she said, her brown eyes softening. "He has my eyes."_

 _"It's because of those eyes, I let a lot of mishaps slide."_

 _She t'ched. A smile now evident on her lips and this time, it reached the corners of her eyes in shallow creases. "I think its more of how he reminds you of your younger self."_

 _"He takes after you. He is not as dim as his old man." Lee laughed, glad that their conversation turned to a much light-hearted banter, reminiscent of their younger pre-war days._

 _"You raised him well," Tenten said. "As expected from the green beast of Konoha."_

 _Lee saw her tightening the knot on her cloak and realised that she really had to go now. "Will I see you soon?"_

 _She smiled. "You know... Neji and I discussed this before." He noticed that she did not wince when she said Neji's name. "You are like the sun, Lee, on a fine spring day."_

 _"What does that mean?" He asked, somehow knowing very well what that means._

 _"The sun is the source of our very existence. Even when night comes, we still look for the sun," she explained. "I will look for you when I return."_

 _..._

"Lee," Sasuke called out. He noticed his teammate staring blankly into space. Lee had been doing that a lot lately.

Lee jerked his head towards Sasuke. His eyes slowly coming back to the present.

"The portal opened," the Uchiha heir stated.

Lee's eyes trailed towards the glowing orb. It emanated heat and was slowly decreasing in size.

"Yosh... Are you ready?" Lee asked.

Sasuke nodded. "Are you?"

Lee did not reply and walked into the portal, Sasuke close behind him.

* * *

 **To be continued...**


	11. Chapter 11 - Violet (Part 3)

**A/N :**

1) Thank you to those who have reviewed and / or read my story. Also, to those who have added my story under fave / alert.

2) Apologies for the extremely late update. After Tenten's 'betrayal', I had a tough time deciding on how to start this chapter. This was a hurdle, I really had to overcome. It's not as good as I want it to be but I really tried. The action scenes were tough too.

3) A little sasuten if you squint. Just couldn't help myself.

 **Disclaimer :** I do not own Naruto.

* * *

 **7 Colours of the Rainbow**

 **Chapter 11 : Violet (Part 3)**

"Truth to be told, I didn't think you'd actually betray him," Violet (Katashi / Seven) voiced out. He clamped a green hand around Neji's jaw and set him on the grass.

I threw him a tired look. "The reason why I became Indigo, was to protect life."

"He is life," Violet reasoned, testing me, eyes watchful.

"My son is both life and blood," I pointed out.

We held each others penetrating gaze until Violet broke out into that jagged smile of his.

"Tell me, why should I trust you?" He asked, a finger on his chin. "Hmm..."

I gave an exasperated sigh. "Your lengthy speech last night moved me."

"I sense sarcasm," Violet retorted.

"And here I thought you actually wanted to change the world," I retorted back.

"I want to control it," Violet revealed. "Only then can I change it."

I crossed my arms. "How do you plan to _control_ the world?"

"It goes back to our history. The creation of the all things technique by Hagoromo Ootsutsuki is through a combination of Yin chakra and Yang chakra. Our chakra is then molded and expelled through any combination of the twelve hand signs," Violet explained. "I found the book kept by my relatives, who are ancestors of the Ootsutsuki clan. It reveals of a 13th hand sign, Sachihoko."

"Sachihoko,"I repeated. Sachihoko was a water animal with the head of a tiger and body of a carp. "That animal is folklore."

"Is it now?" He sneered. "It got us here, didn't it. A combination of the 13th hand sign and the twelve hand signs will open a portal to another universe. I could even control the kekkei genkai of shinobi's. However, to do so, I need to possess that kekkei genkai myself."

I took in his self-modification. It made sense now, the Jenga clan's arm (green lizard arm with durable skin and sharp claws), the Kagi clan's flared nose, Fuuma Clan's jaw and other kekkei genkai that was still unknown to me.

Violet seemed to follow my thought process. "I have almost all the kekkei genkai, wood release, swift release, steel release, etcetera. You get the drift. Of course the greatest kekkei genkai known to man are still far from my grasp. The rinnegan, being destroyed. The sharingan, well, that Sasuke is a tough one. Unfortunately, I wasn't born with the Tenseigan either as per my Ootsutsuki predecessors. But the Byakugan, it's in my reach now."

"How would the byakugan help in this quest to control the world?" I asked.

He chuckled, scratching his head with a Jenga claw. "You see, since there is only one sharingan user, or two, I heard he has a kid, I can just wipe them out." He shrugged nonchalantly. "But a whole clan of Hyuugas." He shook his head. "Now that could be a hassle. If I have the byakugan, I can control them."

Violet grabbed Neji's collar, lifting his upper body off the ground. "Walk ahead of me now," he ordered. "We got to keep moving." He pointed east-wards, into the forest. "That way."

I did as was told, throwing a glance back every now and then, to make sure that Violet did not slip away. Neji's heels dug into the earth as he was dragged along.

"You're vital to my plan, Indigo," he said, his voice crawling under my skin. "I am right behind you."

I continued walking, past trees and over fallen trees. "There are approximately 23 kekkei genkai," I stated. "This does not include the sub-branches or weaker versions of them. You'd run out of body parts soon enough. How do you plan on controlling them?"

"Smart girl," he stated. "The sub-branches are variations of the main kekkei genkai. If I control the major ones, I can control those too. "

"It takes years to master a kekkei genkai and you have 23 variations to master. You're rather ahead of yourself," I voiced out.

"I admit, it was a painful and arduous process especially when some of the kekkei genkai had rejected my body," he explained. "Stop here," he barked.

I looked at my surroundings. We were standing at a small circular opening, approximately five meters in diameter. We were surrounded by tall, hooded trees, with bountiful leaves. However, the ground were filled with freshly fallen leaves which does not seem to originate from the branches above us.

"I realised that the kekkei genkai has to accept you. The original kekkei genkai wielder had to willingly give it to you," he explained somemore. I twisted around to face him. "So when I went hunting, I target those who had so much to lose, had such a huge sense of responsibility. I used that against them. Of course sometimes, they needed a nudge."

"Neji's dead. There is no persuading the dead," I voiced out.

"Oh, I agree," Violet replied. "I gave the eyes to a former associate of mine, who was from the Mayu clan."

The Mayu clan was able to retrieve lingering memories from objects or people. They were considered psychic among civilians.

"He said he saw the boy's death and memories of a girl, who he suspects was his teammate. She had an affinity with weapons he said." He dropped Neji to the ground, with a thud. "You came and I put two and two together. "

"So I am to urge Neji to willingly give you the byakugan," I asked, albeit confused with the plan.

"Yes," Violet agreed, taking a step towards me. "A little persuasion wouldn't hurt. But if that doesn't work-"

He gave me a sudden hard kick to the stomach.

I felt myself falling, falling... before landing painfully on my back. I opened my eyes, to see mostly darkness, but eventually noticed a blurred light above me.

' _A hole in the sky,'_ I wondered to myself. _'No.'_ Violet's other lair was hidden beneath the earth.

A silhoutte covered part of the light and I recognised it as Violet. "If the persuasion doesn't work, I might just implant his eyes into your eye sockets. With a healthy ounce of persuasion, you'd will the byakugan to me," he stated.

"You piece of s**t," I muttered, as my vision became more hazy and pulled me into darkness.

"I work best alone," he said.

* * *

I had finally come to, head heavy and sides sore from the hard fall.

The room was filled with long and dark shadows from floor to ceiling. However, a few makeshift lights were placed strategically, giving a dusk-like glow.

My insides churned as the feeling of desperation settled in the pit of my stomach. I tugged my arms upwards but realised my wrists seemed to be secured in place. My legs too seems to be strapped in place. I needed to break free quick and fast. Neji was in trouble and Violet had not taken my 'betrayal' as true.

I bent my body forward, in an attempt to flex open my fingers and pull out a hair pin from one of my buns, before being jolted by an electric current.

"It's an electric chair," a masculine voice said, voice seeping with anger and dread. He sounded lethargic.

My eyes flew open and searched for the recipient of the voice, who was lying in the middle of the room, all limbs strapped to a stainless steel table.

"Neji..." I called out, uncertainly. It sounded like him but I could not make out his features, the light did not reach him enough.

"...Tenten," he answered.

"Are you hurt?" I pressed.

"Physically, no." _But emotionally, my betrayal had effected him._

The silence that hung in the air, pricked against my skin.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked, finally.

"Long enough to watch him leave this room."

"My weapons!" I said, alarmed. I could no longer feel the coolness of metal against my skin.

"He removed them," Neji replied. "They're by the corner behind you away from your reach."

I leaned back against the chair. "I suppose you have questions?" I voiced out. I could feel his pale eyes bore into me, judging me.

"He is the enemy," Neji hissed.

"I know."

"Why?" He asked me.

I snapped my eyes close, sensing that his eyes were accusing, cold. "Because I needed to have leverage. I need to know his plans."

"There are better ways to approach this," he snapped. "Do I mean nothing to you?" he said, with gritted teeth.

"If only you knew to what lengths, I would go for you," I retorted. I knew this was a bad time for an argument or a start of one.

"Like this."

I pursed my lips and let out a short bitter laugh. "I suppose this is a bad example. Neji..." I started. "This is the better option," I explained. "I couldn't risk him coming to the Hyuuga estate again. There are too much at risk."

"It was him that caused you all your injuries." A statement rather than a question.

"Yes... He gave me a choice," I explained. "You or my son."

"A son." His voice barely audible. Neji was reeling in shock. "It seems that I do not know much about you?"

"You know me enough, to have Itachi follow us earlier today in the market," I replied.

"You knew."

"Yes. Occupational hazard," I stated, not clarifying anymore. "I left a few trails behind, hopefully, he's able to pick it up."

"I deserve the truth," Neji demanded, voice octaves lower. "But you've hidden more things than you've shared."

"I wanted to but it is to protect you from our mistakes."

"We are passed that now," he huffed. "I just saw a man with a green arm, crooked jaw and flared nostrils. Who is the 'our' that you are insinuating?"

I gritted my teeth, then, sighed in resign. "Konoha," I replied.

He was silent, waiting.

"I am not from here," I mentioned.

"You had mentioned before," he stated.

"It was half the truth. I am from Konoha but I am from another world..a-a, parallel universe."

"I am supposed to believe this," he seethed.

"I didn't too and yet here we are." _Here you are._ _Every bit the same as he._

Silence again.

I was reliving the moment of Neji's death and my voice came broken and shallow. "During the fifth war, my teammate died. We were placed in different divisions and I couldn't protect him."

"What was his name?" he asked, voice soft, encouraging.

His name left my tongue. "... Hyuuga Neji."

"... I died." _Will I die?_ I heard his silent question hang in the air.

" _He_ died," I emphasized. "... You won't - I won't let you die." My voice with strong emotional conviction.

"I was – He was one of Katashi's victims?" he asked.

"Yes. The Hyuuga's in my world has a special bloodline limit called the byakugan. With it, one is able to see in a 360 degree view as well as chakra. He was deemed the prodigy of the clan," I explained. "Neji's eyes were taken after death."

"The bloodline limit is no longer activated, I take," he caught on. "So he is here for me."

"Yes."

"I do not have this bloodline limit."

"I don't know how he is planning to activate it but he wants you to will the eyes to him," I explained. "I followed him here to retrieve his eyes back."

"He must mean a lot to you."

"He's my teammate," I replied.

"You're withdrawn, _hurt_. An after effect of his death," he concluded.

"I care for him deeply." What would we have been, if he was still alive?

"Was he your lover?" he asked.

"No. Love was far from his mind."

"He is far more perceptive than you think. If love was there beside him, unconditionally, there was no need to act on it."

"You speak like you understand him."

"I _am_ him."

"You are both different," my voice broke. "He is very much like you except..."

"Except?"

"You're... whole, Neji," I said. It was difficult talking about him. "He was... broken for most of his earlier years. His parents had died earlier in his life and his relationship with his clan was strained."

"I-he had it hard."

"Yes but he broke free," I said, finally. "His life was short and we never had a chance to be anything else. I was happy to have been his teammate."

The light flicked open, ruining the moment. Violet/Katashi stood by the doorway, arms crossed, eyes in slits and lips set in a smug straight line.

"A reunion... How incredibly touching." He shifted his gaze, back and forth between the two of us. "I have to cut it short. Kekkei Genkai... World domination... you both get the drift."

* * *

Itachi frowned.

He was certain that Tenten and Neji went this way, although he did lose them temporarily back at the market. When he did locate them again, they were crossing the main road, and quickly disappeared when he was distracted by a passing bus.

Either they hopped on the bus, which was unlikely, or entered into the Konoha forest.

Itachi walked past the tall trees until there was a large opening. He hesitated. Maybe he should call for his partner but decided against it.

He walked through the overgrowth and saw from afar a limp Neji being dragged by the collar by a man-creature. Tenten was walking ahead of them, disappearing into the shadows of the trees.

His eyes narrowed. He reached for his handphone in his pocket and flipped it open. He searched for Sasori's number but realised that there was no signal. Itachi decided that he was by himself.

He reached for his gun in the holster and cocked it.

* * *

Itachi walked a good 30 minutes before he decided that he had lost their trail.

He was at the denser part of the forest now, and the trail just gradually dissappeared. He tilted his head upwards, shielding his eyes. Maybe they went up the trees.

His eyes snapped downwards when he heard a muffled scream that seemed to erupt from the ground beneath him.

On all fours now, he searched the ground with his hands, until he felt his hands pierce through a makeshift wooden barrier and touch a void.

He lifted the makeshift cover, made from leaves and twigs, from the ground and threw it to the side. Staring downwards into the opening, he identified that this was an underground cave.

He tried to gauge the distance of the fall, when his hand accidently grazed a structure. "How convenient," Itachi said, inaudible. From further inspection, he realised that it was a makeshift ladder.

He placed his gun into his pocket and slowly made his way down, the glow from his handphone leading the way.

* * *

The scream tore out of me in an anguished and primal flood of fear. The terror of knowing what would happen of Neji next, flooded my every emotion, filling my head with thoughts of his end.

"... Indigo. I'm trying to concentrate here," Violet scolded, giving a soft tsk'ed.

"Please... spare him from all of this," I cried out. "It won't work. Neji was a branch member. The seal would have rendered his Byakugan useless when he died."

Violet eyes roamed over the medical tools on the metal tray and picked up a syringe. "Didn't I give you the speech about the kekkei genkai earlier. I am certain I can reactivate it again," Violet answered. "I could get another Hyuuga, but the Hyuuga's are especially cautious and reclusive. Most branch members are allowed to venture off from their village but the main branch members do not."

Neji struggled helplessly, arms, legs and head, strapped down the table. His mouth was taped down.

"If you don't cooperate, I will kill her," Violet promised, bending down to whisper the words in Neji's ear. "Your blood and eyes play a vital role in reactivating the byakugan."

Violet pressed a button on a device.

I gritted my teeth, back arching, head scraping against the spine of the chair, as another wave of electicity pulsed through me. I fell forward, mouth gasping for air.

It seems that Katashi had forgotten to remove the hair pins from my hair. If he did so, he would notice the senbons weaved inside my buns.

"I could make this much easier for you if you cooperate," Violet stated to which Neji stopped struggling and resigned to his fate. "Will the eyes to me. Think of who you will save, if you give me the eyes."

He pressed the button again and a higher voltage of electricity surged through me. I fell forward again, spent and with gritted teeth. This time, I managed to grab a hair pin from one of my buns.

Violet pierced the needle of the syringe into Neji's arm and pulled put enough blood to fill two vials.

"Please, don't," I yelled hoarsely, picking the lock. "Don't go through with this."

"It'll work. I found a way." Violet sighed and placed the syringe back on the tray with his normal hand. "When I found Neji's body at the battlefield, unmoving and unattended to, I took my chance to take his eyes. The eyes play a huge part in my plan but to get my hands on a pair is difficult. Did you know that all the Hyuuga Main Clan Members are cremated upon death? Makes it so much more tedious really."

I paused from my efforts, tucking the hair pin beneath my wrist.

Violet picked up another syringe. "Then one day, I asked myself, what makes a byakugan? What happens when a curse seal is activated?" He stood up and walked towards me, stopping a good few inches away from my reach. "And then I performed the signs to open a portal to this universe. Of course I needed a few sacrifices to fuel my trips." This time he was gloating, eyes glazed with gratification.

"Truthfully, I didn't know what to expect when I first came here. That moment was unprecedented. I became the first shinobi to walk through worlds, through universes," he said with utmost glee. "On one of my trips here, I saw a Hyuuga. I took her and then her father. The female escaped. A total lapse of security on my part," he continued. "I'm digressing… Anyway, I found out what makes the byakugan. It took a lot of trial and errors and, per usual, another death."

I clenched my jaw, exhaling sharply.

"The difference between an active byakugan and non-active byakugan, is due to the vitreous body, which is a jelly-like substance behind the lens. When the curse seal is activated, it dries up the jelly-like substance, deactivating the byakugan."

He walked to where Neji was. "And do you know what makes up the vitreous body?" He asked, without waiting for my reply. "A Hyuuga's own blood and the clear jelly-like substance."

"He won't," I paused, grasping the hair clip again and attempting to pick the locks. "He won't die."

"From this surgery? Of course not. He'd just be blind," he said, the glee still in his voice. "However, I will kill him. To relieve him of… future difficulties."

I screamed again. This time with vulgarities. "I will kill you. I'll kill you. I swear to god. I will kill you." The lock opened with an audible click.

He tsk'ed again. "Now, now. Where is your self-control? Now, I'd really have to kill him and then you for good measure."

* * *

Sasuke and Lee tumbled out of the portal albeit ungracefully despite their elitist shinobi titles. Cool tufts of grass grazed their cheeks. It took a few seconds for them to be back up on their feet.

The Uchiha male scanned the surroundings, taking in the open field. It seemed to be located in the middle of a forest filled with familiar trees and shrubbery.

"This is my team's former training ground," Lee stated upon recognizing the tree where a younger Neji had once frequently meditated under.

"Are you sure?" Sasuke pressed.

"Positive," Lee replied. "Are we back in Konoha?" Lee looked around, confused.

Sasuke pointed in the direction of a few buildings in the distance that seemed to pierce the sky. "I am certain that this is not Konoha or at least the Konoha that we know of."

Lee nodded. "If the portal bought us here, it means that Tenten's nearby."

"Hn," Sasuke agreed.

"Can you sense her?" Lee asked.

Sasuke stood as still as a rock. "I'm not sensing anything," he replied soon after.

"Do you think she-" Lee trailed off, his expression tense and uneasy.

"Do not assume," Sasuke stated. "She could have just hidden her chakra."

Lee nodded. "This area seems untouched," Lee observed.

Back in his world, Team Gai's training ground was patchy, from Neji's frequent practice of Kaiten, and not overgrown with grass. Back at home, nearby trees also had obvious punctures, courtesy of Trenten's frequent target practice, compared to the untouched tree barks that he sees now.

Sasuke noticed an overgrowth at his line of sight. "But this area seems to be recently disturbed," Sasuke stated, touching the broken stems, gingerly in his fingers. He set his gaze to the right, his eyes noticing the obvious trail, of dragging marks.

"A trap?" Lee suggested. "Tenten is usually more discreet."

Sasuke agreed but a gleam caught his sight and he picked up a hair pin.

"That's Tenten's." It did not take much to convince Lee that Tenten had gone in that direction, whether willingly or not.

Sasuke brushed the dirt off his pants and took the lead.

* * *

Itachi kicked open the wooden door, a finger curled around the trigger.

"You're under arrest-" he said, voice loud, to see a creature, with a needle in Neji's right eye. Itachi did not have time to process what the creature in front of him was, only that he was sure Neji's life would end if he did not act now.

Itachi pulled the trigger, the bullet leaving the gun with deadly intent, the crack-like sound reverberating in the room. The bullet casing dropped to the floor with a sharp clink.

Itachi expected the bullet to have gone through-and-through the creature's chest. However, the creature sidestepped and the bullet only grazed the unusually large arm, revealing a jagged gash.

The creature pulled out the syringe from the eye and placed it on the tray, with a loud 'clank', before turning his attention towards the Uchiha male. The creature looked outraged, and pushed forward, making his way swiftly towards Itachi.

Itachi pointed his gun towards the creature, shooting urgently, only to have the creature deflect them, and the bullets ricochet against the wall or ceiling.

* * *

"Did you hear that?" Lee said, mid step. They were in the forest. Tenten's trail has vanished and they were only walking aimlessly in hopes they would find another clue to her whereabouts.

Sasuke stopped in his tracks, looking around, only to see trees, trees and more trees.

A small crack of thunder was heard. Lee scanned the surroundings for clues to where the sound came from. Sasuke tilted his head upwards, to see that the sky was clear.

Another brief crack of thunder was heard. This time consecutively. Both Lee and Sasuke knew which direction it was coming from.

"Below," they said concurrently.

Lee's eyes were wide. "Do you think-"

"A hidden underground lair?" Sasuke replied. "It's possible."

* * *

Due to Itachi's 'entrance', I had managed to free both my arms and was now working on releasing my legs.

I reached down to my ankles, only to have the sudden movement, bring another surge of electricity throughout my body. The surge only stopped when I sat back in the chair, proper.

"F**k," I heard Itachi verbalise as the gun that he was holding seemed to 'clack' to signify the end of his supply of bullets. Itachi threw the gun at Violet, who only caught it in his green arm and crush it with his bare hand.

Itachi threw a few well-placed punches and kicks, to have Violet only stand there unaffected. With the green hand, Violet clamped Itachi's neck and lifted him off the ground. Itachi tried to pry the fingers from his neck to no avail. The strength was monstrous and he was slowly losing his consciousness.

At Itachi's struggle, I gritted my teeth and reached down to my ankles, ignoring the intense pain. I unbuckled the buckles on the straps and tumbled off the chair onto the cool floor.

I quickly stood up, regained my composure and grabbed a nearby scalpel. Launching myself to Violet, I clung to his back and stabbed the scalpel into his neck.

"Arghhh," Violet screamed, flinging Itachi across the room. Itachi slid down the wall, his shoulder dislocated from the impact.

I pulled out the scalpel and this time stabbed the area where the green arm met his shoulder.

Violet screamed again, this time in anger. He grabbed my head and flipped me forward towards the ground. I landed on my back painfully. Noticing that he had wielded his double-edged katana, I rolled to the side before the blade could pierce my chest.

"Tenten," Itachi said, getting my attention. He had found a katana, in a corner of the room, not knowing that it was mine. He slid my katana on the floor a few feet away from me.

I rolled forward and grabbed my katana. In a kneeling position and with both hands, I bought it up in a defense position as Violet brought his katana in a downward strike.

"Help, Neji," I managed to say through gritted teeth.

Holding his shoulder with his able hand, Itachi looked at Neji determinedly.

I pushed myself to a standing position, still holding off Violet's attack. However, Violet saw Itachi make his way to Neji and, angrily, he swiped his free hand at my side, slamming me against a cabinet. The cabinet crashed to the floor, spilling and breaking most of its contents.

Itachi ran and slid to wear Neji was, ripping off the tape from Neji's mouth.

"Behind you," Neji warned Itachi, moments before Violet grabbed Itachi by the injured shoulder, and squeezed. The agony brought Itachi to his knees.

Itachi grunted in pain, but reached for an empty syringe and stabbed the needle in Violet's hand.

I ran and leapt onto Violet's back again, taking him into a choke hold. Violet released Itachi, took a few steps backwards and violently swung his body clockwise and anti-clockwise in hopes of loosening my hold of him.

Itachi used his good hand to grip the corner of the table and pull himself up. He took a scalpel from a tray and proceeded to cut the leather strap on Neji's wrist.

Violet ran into a wall, but spun around last minute, so that I met body-first against the wall. Knowing that I was disoriented, Violet threw a heavy punch to my face, which I managed to narrowly avoid by ducking out of the way. The punch created a small crater in the earthen wall.

I thrusted my katana, only to be met with air. Violet had jumped a few feet back. I drew the senbons from my buns, releasing my hair from their restraints, and launched the senbons one by one, aiming for his vital points, to which he had evaded.

Itachi had already freed Neji's right arm and was working on his right ankle. In the meantime, Neji was tugging on the leather strap on his left wrist, in hopes of loosening it and freeing his wrist.

"We need to help her," Neji expressed, his face impassive but his actions desperate.

* * *

The steels of our katana clashed, neither yielding to each other. What Violet was in brute strength, I countered with agility and swift evades. However, none of my katana-play had managed to land a hit on him.

We worked our way around the room, weapons clashing and movements impossible to follow.

In the corner of my eye, I noticed that Itachi was working on freeing Neji's left arm. Knowing that they needed more time, I twisted my body, slashed the katana downwards, and saw the gaping bloody mess it created on the green arm.

"Enough," Violet yelled, gripping the blade with his lizard arm and breaking it into half with his teeth.

His foot connected with my stomach and I was pushed to the other side of the room. I keeled over.

* * *

Itachi was close to freeing Neji from his constraints. He was working on the final strap, when he felt a rough tug. Again, he was flung against the wall. He lay on the ground, cradling his shoulder, as the pain came in waves.

"Stay still," Violet barked at Neji, as took a syringe filled with blood towards Neji's eye. "I need to draw out your vitreous body."

Neji tensed his core and wrapped his legs around Violet's neck, squeezing tight.

"Fools. All of you," Violet barked again, bringing his syringe downwards towards Neji's right eye.

Unable, to push back Violet's strength, Neji felt the needle pierce his cornea.

"ugggggghhhh," Violet cried, feeling light headed. He pulled out the syringe, unable to see how much vitreous body was actually drawn, and shook the contents in it, mixing it well. He, then, took the other syringe filled with blood and pierced Neji's left cornea.

The pain almost crippled Neji, but with a few quick adjustments of his legs, he pushed Violet back. Neji took out the syringe from his left eye and flung it to the other side of the room towards Tenten.

* * *

Both Violet and I leapt towards the syringe, but I managed to reach it first and threw it in Itachi's direction, which Itachi had caught.

Violet screamed in fury.

"The eyes," I heard Itachi say, he pointed towards Violet's unzipped waist pouch which revealed pale eyes placed in two separate jars.

I followed Itachi's line of sight, and clenched my jaw. Pushing forward, my round kick connected to Violet's jaw, dislocating it.

"I've had enough of all of you," Violet slurred, pushing his jaw back in place. He turned towards me. "I will kill you first."

I received another direct hit to the stomach. This time, I coiled tightly in anger. I burst forward, and gave two consecutive kicks. The first, a low kick to Violet's back knee, causing him to kneel unceremoniously. The second, a more strategic kick towards the bottom of the pouch, enabling the contents within to spill on the floor.

I kicked a jar containing one of Neji's eye towards Itachi.

"Tenten," Neji called out.

I spun around and saw Violet hold a black rectangular object with a red button of some sort.

"This button activates an explosive," Violet revealed. He turned towards me, holding the black object in one hand, and retrieving the spilled items and placing it back in the pouch. "Now, give me that jar and the syringe, and I won't blow this place up."

* * *

"There's voices," Sasuke stated, waiting for Lee to finish descending the last few steps of the makeshift ladder. Earlier they had found a gaping hole in the ground. When they realized that there was a ladder, they knew that it was no coincidence.

"I hear them," Lee agreed. Lee looked ahead at the caverns and pressed ahead.

The cavern's general shape was ovoid. The walls curved smoothly to the floor. Underfoot, the scattered rocks made the path uneven. Sasuke and Lee kept on walking until they saw a dim light ahead.

"Stop," Lee said, peeking in from the side of the door, being careful not to be discovered. "Tenten's injured." There was no proud arch in her back and her shoulders were slumped.

"How many of them?"

"Four including Tenten," Lee replied. "But the other two seem injured as well."

"Are they enemies?" Sasuke asked, keeping his voice low. He felt Lee's body tense up. "Lee?"

"… It's Neji," Lee muttered. "I can't see him clearly but... I know it's him."

Sasuke placed a hand on his shoulder. "What about the other?"

"It's too dark to tell but he's injured."

"What about Katashi?" Sasuke asked.

"Something's off about him," Lee muttered. Noticing that Katashi had a rather mismatched arm, Lee's eyes widened and turned to Sasuke. "He modified his body."

"We need to take Katashi by surprise," Sasuke said, satisfied with Lee's assessment.

* * *

Itachi had rolled the syringe and jar towards me. I picked them up and held out my hand with the items in them, reluctant yet forced to do so.

"Now, now," Violet / Katashi stated. "That wasn't so difficult was it?"

One moment Violet was reaching for the syringe, the next, two familiar shinobis burst through the entryway.

While Violet was distracted by the disturbance, I managed to knock the black object from his hand. The object slid to a nearby wall.

"Sasuke, wait!" I warned.

"Chidori," he said, forming the hand signals. Surprised by the lack of lightning chakra forming in his hands, he rapidly performed the same set of hand signals. "Chidori."

"Tenten," Lee stated concerned, appearing by my side. "Are you ok?" He helped me to my feet.

I squeezed Lee's hand in reassurance. "Sasuke," I yelled. Our eyes met. "Chakra does not work in this world."

Sasuke's red eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. He unsheathed the sword of kusanagi and went for the attack.

Violet deflected Sasuke's strike and rammed him in the chest, and then against the wall, rattling the cabinet that was beside them. Violet's green arm, held Sasuke's right arm firmly against the wall.

Sasuke grunted at the impact, unable to use his sword, he knee'd Violet in the stomach.

My eyes slid to black object a few inches from where they stood. "Sasuke," I yelled. "Don't let him near the black object."

"Lee, you're strongest here," I said. "Help Sasuke. I'll help the others."

Lee nodded and turned towards Katashi.

* * *

Itachi's heart lurched and the space behind his eyes burned. He watched as his otoutou fought against the creature. He was sure that his brother had died. Then, why was he suddenly here. Who was he?

"Itachi." Itachi turned to see Tenten watch him with pained eyes. "Can you walk?"

He glanced down at his leg. He was just reeled in shock by the appearance of his dead brother. "Yes."

The other male, with thick eyes brows and a questionable haircut, was about to join the fight against the creature, when the ceiling rumbled. Loose dirt and rocks rained down.

"Kuso," he heard his brother curse. The creature must have managed to press the button.

The creature gave another blow to Sasuke's stomach and released him, before escaping through the door.

"Lee," Tenten's voice was heard, urgent and alarmed. "Run after Katashi. You're the fastest. He has Neji's eye."

The thick browed male took off in a flash.

"Sasuke," Tenten called out, as the ceiling began to cave. "Get Itachi and escape. I'll help Neji."

"Itachi," he heard his voice being uttered. The smoothness of the male's voice was reminiscent of his brother. "He's-" Sasuke, finally, saw the figure slumped in the far corner.

"Sasuke. Now," Tenten ordered. "The ceiling's going to collapse."

Itachi blinked his eyes and saw Sasuke loom above him. "Aniki," Sasuke said, his voice thick with emotion. His hand reached out for his.

"Otoutou," Itachi responded, grasping Sasuke's hand with his able arm. "I guess Tenten didn't lie when she said she knew you." Sasuke pulled him up. Itachi grimaced. "I dislocated my shoulder." Noticing his brother's concern.

* * *

I grabbed my broken katana, when I noticed the glass-made light fixture above Neji, daggle by an already loosened screw. It was about to fall on to Neji.

I ran over and leapt onto the table, shielding Neji with my body as the light fixture finally collapsed and shattered onto my back. I felt a warmness and knew that, a few shards had pierced my back.

"Are you hurt?" I asked Neji, wincing at the pain on my back. My long hair pooled at each side of his face.

"No. You are," He emphasized.

I ignored him and brought my blade against the final strap. "Can-can you see?" I asked him.

"Yes," he replied, as my blade cut through the strap. He sat up, pulling my body close to his, in an almost embrace. "Blood."

The far walls began to cave in.

"We need to go," Sasuke said, appearing beside us. "Tenten, you-"

"Weapons," I muttered, weakly pointing at my weapons.

Neji pulled me onto his back. I wrapped my leg around his torso.

Sasuke grunted but went to collect them. "Priorities, Tenten."

I gave a weak smile, head against Neji's back.

"Hurry," Itachi urged, already at the entryway. "The caverns will soon collapse too."

* * *

Lee climbed out of the hole. Despite Katashi's large body, he seemed to be light on his feet.

Lee wished that he had the byakugan. He could immediately see where Katashi had went.

The rustling of leaves and crunches of twigs was heard in the east.

"There," Lee said, breaking into a sprint.

Lee was fast, even with his weights on. He was gaining speed and he could see Katashi up ahead.

Violet looked over his shoulder and saw a green blur approach. It was that green spandex shinobi. Violet suspected that he was the green beast of Konoha. A taijutsu master. If he was correct, that would spell trouble.

Violet stopped in his tracks and took out a dried severed finger from his pouch. He had cut off a blacksmith's finger when the blacksmith had presented him a poorly forged tanto.

His hands rapidly formed the hand signs and a portal opened. However, Lee was quicker. He tackled Katashi to the ground before he entered the portal.

Violet crossed his arms in defense, when Lee delivered a consecutive kicks. Cut kick. Butterfly kick. Roundhouse kick. Finally, jumping spinning hook kick.

Violet's eyes were crimson with rage. He pushed forward, returning with his own barrage of uppercuts, jabs and hooks, which Lee had easily evaded.. From the corner of his eye, the portal was slowly shrinking.

Violet made a lunge to the portal but Lee grabbed his right leg in a grapple and snapped the femur into two.

Violet screamed. Using his green arm, pulled Lee off of him, slamming Lee into a nearby tree. Violet stood up and limped towards the portal. A hair away, Lee latched onto his green arm, holding it in a gridlock.

A few more seconds and the portal would close completely. Violet unsheathed his katana in desperation, and in a single movement, cut off his green arm from his shoulders.

Before Lee had registered, what had happened. Violet, let his body fall into the portal, disappearing completely.

A few minutes later, Lee's teammates, Neji and Itachi had found him. The newly fallen fresh leaves seemed to swirl about Lee.

"Katashi?" Lee heard Sasuke ask.

"Escaped through the portal," Lee said, turning around. Lee took a glance at the green arm in his grasp. "I couldn't stop him."

"The eye?" Sasuke asked, eyes trailing to the green arm.

Neji and Itachi averted their gazes at the sight of the arm, nausea threatening to form.

"I'm sorry," Lee said. "I-I tried-"

"It's ok, Lee," Tenten said, weakly.

"I broke his leg. He's missing an arm too. It should buy us a few weeks," Lee revealed. He took Tenten's bloodied back. "We need to tend to her wounds," Lee said, distressed.

"We can't go to the hospital," Neji said, glancing at Sasuke. Sakura was there and if she saw her dead husband, breathing, who knows what complication might arise.

"I know where we can go," Itachi said, breaking his silence.

* * *

They were in the Nara's vacation home near the border of the Konoha forest. As the Nara's was out of the country, it provided them with temporary lodging.

The single storey house was spacious, with three bedrooms with adjoining bathrooms, a kitchen, dining room, veranda and living room. It was also fully stocked with food and had a first aid kit.

Lee held up two fingers for Neji to see. "How many?" he asked.

Neji scowled. "Four." Lee's face was painted in worry. "The real answer's two," Neji said, arms crossed. "How many times are you going to do this?"

"I'm just making sure that your sight is ok," Lee said, concerned.

"I can see," Neji insisted.

"Katashi didn't draw that much from his eye," Itachi added. "A drop or two from each eye. Neji put up a fight."

Lee nodded. "You were always resilient," Lee said, quietly. His emotions was still in turmoil at the sight of the scolding Hyuuga. Relief, confusion, happiness, pain.

"I can see," Neji repeated, his face no longer set in a scowl. "Where's Tenten?"

"Sasuke is tending to her wounds."

At that, Neji headed for the bedroom in search for them.

Lee shifted his position on the couch nearer to Itachi. "I'll fix your shoulder, Itachi-san," Lee said, noticing Itachi tense in apprehension. "I've dislocated most of my joints and put them back myself. So you're in most excellent hands."

Lee's reassurance failed to comfort Itachi. Itachi sighed. "Do what you must."

Earlier Neji had explained to Itachi that Lee, Tenten and Sasuke were all from an alternate universe. It was difficult to believe, but it was logical. Their brute strength, lithe movements and attire, that seemed to surpass a civilian in this world.

"Is Sasuke avoiding me?" Itachi asked. He understood that it was a major turn of events but for Sasuke to allow another person to tend to his wounds was upsetting.

Lee hesitated. "I think… he is still deciding on how to address you. How he should act around you." Lee thought. He too was still undecided on how to act around Neji. He was familiar yet unfamiliar.

Lee touched Itachi's shoulder here and there, lightly, to gauge the extent of the dislocation.

Itachi noticed the look of uncertainty etched on Lee's face. As a detective, he can read people's body language and expression like a book. "He's acting like a brat."

Lee clenched his jaw. "Most of his life he has spent trying to kill you, Itachi-san." Lee lodged the shoulder back into place and Itachi hissed with pain. "Meeting you again, stirred up whatever guilt and internal pain that he has surpressed. So forgive him, Itachi-san."

"What happened over there?" Itachi asked, eyebrows creasing.

Lee took a triangular cloth and put Itachi's arm in a sling. "Ask Sasuke."

Itachi sighed again. "I assume we met under bad circumstances."

"Considering that I almost drowned in a spherical water prison when I first met you, I would say yes," Lee revealed, grinning. "But you did not do that to me here so we're off on a good foot."

* * *

"You've lost blood," Sasuke said. "I'm surprised you're still conscious."

We were on the bed. Sasuke sitting against the head rest, while I was slumped against him

I leaned onto Sasuke's chest, breathing in his scent. "You're both here," I said, feeling lightheaded.

Sasuke carefully tore the back of my top, from the collar down. "We're a team."

"mmmgggffhhh," I replied, feeling the pain where the glass shards shifted.

"Bear with me. I'm not nearly as good as Sakura."

I chuckled briefly. Stopping, when I found it painful to laugh.

"Face the front," he ordered. "I need to see the wounds."

I lifted my body, to turn around when Sasuke grabbed my wrist.

"You were reckless," Sasuke pointed out, eyes taking in the injuries at the front of my torso. "The bruises, the cuts."

I lifted my gaze to meet his. "I did what I had to do. I kept him _alive_."

* * *

Neji walked into find the Sasuke and Tenten in a compromising position. Especially when Tenten was topless with only a thin layer of white bandages to protect her modesty. Their faces were inches from each other.

"What are you doing?" Neji called out, not pleased with what he saw.

He watched as Tenten tensed and crossed her arms over her chest. Neji was not happy. She did not appear to be embarrassed in front of Sasuke.

Sasuke tore his gaze away from Tenten's and released her arm. An eyebrow was raised when he met with Neji's icy glare. "Tending to her wounds."

"It doesn't seem like you progressed."

Sasuke smirked. "I was taking my time."

"Do you need help?" Lee asked Sasuke, appearing beside Neji, not noticing the tension.

"Two hands is better than one," Sasuke stated.

Pleased that Lee was going to be there, Neji decided to go back to the living room to rest. His eyes felt strained and bloodshot.

"I think it's better if we clean her wounds in the bathtub," Lee suggested.

"Agreed," Sasuke verbalized. "Easier to clean her up."

Neji resisted the urge to backtrack.

* * *

After removing the shards of glass and sew up her wounds, Sasuke had left Lee to tend to Tenten's other bruises and cuts.

He exited the bedroom to find Neji sitting on the chair outside. Neji's body posture slumped slightly in worry. Sasuke joined him, sitting on the chair opposite of the Hyuuga male.

"Itachi went out to get supplies," Neji stated, giving Sasuke a sideway glance.

"Hn." Sasuke was relieved. He did not know how to face his brother after all that had transpired between them in another universe.

"Thank you for coming to Tenten's aid," Neji started. "And for my rudeness earlier." The time that Sasuke and Lee had tended to Tenten, he used to rearrange and make sense to the events that transpired and information that he had received.

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. An apologetic Hyuuga is not someone you come across everyday. "She would do the same for me."

Quietness ensued.

"...You are not Sasuke.." Neji said, his voice slow and unsure, filling the silence.

"I am... and yet I am not," Sasuke replied, arms crossed. Sasuke sighed and uncrossed his arms. He supposed that he should explain. "I am Sasuke but I am not the Sasuke that you have lived with."

"You've been through hell," Neji stated. The Sasuke, that he had known since childhood had smiling eyes even if the Uchiha's face remained impassive. This Sasuke, had tormented eyes, similar to that to Tenten's. Exactly what happened in that world of theirs.

Sasuke gave an amused smile. "I'm in a better place now."

Neji did not doubt that. "Are you... the father of Tenten's son?" Neji asked, carefully. He saw how close they were earlier. The gazes that they shared.

Sasuke would have tripped if he were not already settled on the chair. "I have a wife, Sakura," He replied, a smirk playing on his lips. "Tenten and Aniki are alike. So, naturally... I..." Sasuke trailed off. He licked his lips. "Metal's father is Lee."

"Him," Neji said, a sour word on his tongue. His head snapped towards the bowl-haired man's direction. He gave Lee a thorough one-over.

Sasuke chuckled. "Naturally, it would be him. You'd approve."

"But him," Neji repeated uncharateristically, pointing a thumb in Lee's direction.

"After your death, there was no one else," Sasuke pointed out. "Well, I could have..." Sasuke teased. He took in Neji's hostile look. "But I was already engaged..." Sasuke explained. Neji's eyebrows creased in confusion. "Ask them for clarification," Sasuke said, finally.

"Were we friends?" Neji asked, next.

"I'd like to think that we were." Sasuke met his gaze. "But the final time we met, we were on the opposite sides of the war."

"And that's when I died..." Neji asked, remembering the first conversation he had had with Tenten.

"Yes. War takes away from both the dead and living." Sasuke turned to watch Lee who was carefully applying some ointment to Tenten's bruises and shallow cuts. "But more so from the living."

Neji too watched Tenten. "What was she like? Before..."

"From the few times that I had met her before, she was vibrant... Lee said she was similar to a rainbow once. Filled with the colours of life."

"It's hard to imagine," Neji replied.

Sasuke tilted his head slightly. "You better believe it," Sasuke said, albeit less enthusiastically than a certain blonde haired hokage.

Neji chuckled. "Imitating Naruto?"

"So he's the same here too. That dobe," Sasuke sniggered.

Lee caught Sasuke's eye and nodded that the treatment was completed.

After a moment of silence, Sasuke spoke. "Lee was the sun. You-I mean Neji the moon and Tenten the sky. She held the team together. " He leaned back against the chair. "Then, the moon disappeared and the sky wept. But the rainbow... never came."

* * *

After a short nap, Neji had walked into the room that Tenten was resting. She was fed with medicine earlier, when drowsiness had kicked in and she was fell fast asleep.

"How is she?" Neji demanded, the bowl-haired man.

Lee looked up at him surprised, releasing Tenten's hand from his grasp. The feeling of seeing his best friend living and breathing, had left a heavy stamp in his heart. "You shouldn't get up, Neji. You should rest. You went through... a lot."

"How is she?" Neji pressed, taking a seat beside him.

"She just needs rest. This is nothing compared to-," Lee paused, sucking in a breath. "...She's always been resilient."

Silence filled the air but none of the man had attempted to leave the room.

"How are you, Neji?" Lee asked, finally. "Are you well?"

"Yes," Neji replied. He understood that the spandex wearing man was not talking about his recent injuries.

"Are you... are you happy?" Lee asked, his voice strained.

"Happiness is subjective."

Lee nodded, unsure. "Of-of course." It was a Neji-like answer.

Neji watched the man beside him. Somehow his conscious urged him to say something more encouraging. "I am, in this very moment, despite everything that we have just been through, happy. " Neji stated.

Lee nodded again, this time, the dam to his tears broken. "That's-that's a relief," Lee sobbed, wiping his tears away with his sleeves.

Neji gave a small smile. "How are you?" The Hyuuga had felt that it was important to ask the green-clad man that question.

Lee looked at his smiling face, startled. "I am... well too, given the circumstances."

The Hyuuga man nodded. Somehow, this man beside him felt familiar.

"Are we friends?" Lee asked him. "In this world?"

"We have yet to meet," Neji said, honestly.

"Ah...Is that so?" Lee nodded. "I should properly introduce myself then." He stuck out a hand which Neji shook. "My name's Rock Lee, the green beast of Konoha. But you can call me Lee, that's what you used to call me."

"...Are you her _husband_?" Neji asked next.

Lee let out a huge laugh, his wet eyes crinkling. This Neji surprised him. Lee always knew that Neji and Tenten had a relationship which transcended friendship but to actually hear the hesitation and, dare he say, envy, in Neji's voice was priceless.

Neji scolded. "Well are you?"

This time Lee had to wipe the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes. "We have yet to be joined in matrimony," Lee teased.

"But you have a son with her?"

"That's true," Lee replied.

"You don't want to make an honest woman out of her?" Neji continued.

Lee smiled. After all, Neji's words were laced with hope. "That would be the right thing to do. I proposed twice before but I was rejected both times," Lee revealed. There was a long pause before Lee spoke again. "I wasn't you," he said in a hushed voice. He coughed. "Don't get me wrong. What we have, is special. We'd go to death and back for each other but... Regardless, we are still family. Our love for each other is just different."

Neji watched him carefully.

Lee took something out from his pocket. He unfolded it and handed it over to Neji. "This is us." It was an old picture of the three of them of when they were genin. "We were 12 and placed into a team. The man behind us is Gai Sensei. He's our mentor but he was more of a father to us." Lee tapped the paper to indicate Gai Sensei. "All of us, did not have parental figures in our life."

"I was an orphan," Neji asked, not sure how to take in the new information. He took another look at his younger self, absorbing the faint scowl and blank eyes.

"Even so, the Hyuuga clan was there for you. And we were, even if you did not admit it, a family too."

"I look so defiant."

Lee laughed. "Oh even the mountains had a hard time swaying you."

Neji scowled. "What are we?" Neji asked, eventually, curious. He rephrased the question. "What do we do?"

Lee cocked his head. "We are shinobi." Lee hesitated but gave him his trademark grin; all gleam and a 'ping'. "Tenten didn't tell you?"

"Hn..." Neji, shaking his head. Everything made sense now. The massacre at the lighthouse. Her insistence on being near him. "So it was her all along who freed us all."

Lee smiled, but his face showed his fatigue. "Tenten... she... after you..." Lee searched for a way to phrase his next sentence. "After the war, there was peace among the nations. But Tenten believed that there was still evil left. She took it upon herself to cleanse the world of it. It was her way of coping."

"I'm sorry," Neji spoke. "For all that I have inflicted on both of you."

Lee appeared startled.

"We may not be expressive," Neji explained, talking about himself and his other self. "But I am sure that there were times he had wanted to say it."

"That... that may be so," Lee said, choking back his second onslaught of tears. "But there are no apologies required when you are family."

Neji decided to change the subject. "Tell me about Gai Sensei."

Lee perked up, his voice boisterous and energetic. His body was animated as he told of Gai Sensei and his unique antics as well as the endless competition with Kakashi Sensei. He spoke of their first few adventures as genins. Hilarious pranks on other teams especially the one that involved laxatives in Gai Sensei's morning tea so Team Gai would get a well-deserved break. Also, the time when they had broken one of Tenten's prized kunai and incurred her wrath. Tenten had cut off a small chunk of Neji's hair as revenge and dyed all of Lee's spandex-wear bright red.

20 minutes in, Lee was doubled over in laughter and Neji looked at him amused.

"She-she," Lee guffawed. "She had snipped off three inches of your hair in the back. You went about your business for seven days before you noticed... _SEVEN_ days."

Tenten awoken to the familiar sound of laughter. She had not heard Lee laugh like that in a long long time. It had bought her to a time when a teenage Neji was fully healed and believed that he was no longer caged. After a successful mission in the Land of the Waterfall, Team Gai had stopped by the famous Kuta Waterfall for a picnic. Somehow, that day, they had forgotten that they were shinobi and went about their day being teenagers, as they should be. All she wanted was to relive a day like that. She reached out to touch the hands of two of the four people who meant the whole world to her.

Lee and Neji turned towards her. "If Gai Sensei, could see us now," Tenten almost choked but kept her voice steady. She squeezed their hands. "Lee, you should tell Neji the time, we were caved in a sand storm for two days and because we had nothing to drink, Gai Sensei wanted us to drink his urine."

Neji looked disgusted. "Oh Neji. That was the exact expression you had on," Lee said, laughing. "It all began when Lord SaIsho, commissioned us to collect a rare flower that was only found at the Yellow Desert..."

Yes.

If only Gai Sensei could see them now.

* * *

 _ **To be continued...**_


End file.
